A Twist In My Story: A Jet Brew Blues Sequel
by Bakuten - Genocide Angel
Summary: A sequel to Jet Brew Blues. Has the dust finally settled?
1. Chapter 1

_"How could you, Trina?" The half Latina sobbed, heartbroken and wounded by the sudden twist of events. She couldn't believe what had just happened. It was a like a terrible nightmare had just walked through the door and rampaged through everything she held close to her and just tore it asunder. It was that monster that children feared but never saw._

_"Tori, I-" Trina stood in the doorway in utter shock. She'd only wanted to share with their parents what was supposed to be good news, but it had only ripped the simple fabric of their family apart. "I'm so sorry." She whispered, placing her hand front of her mouth as she shook her head slowly. No one saw this coming. None of them would've seen the hatred pour out of their father like a volcano violently erupting without warning, destroying anyone who couldn't get away in time._

_"How could you be so thick?" The Goth spat viciously while carefully holding together the fragile girl who'd just lost her parents. "Why'd you tell them?"_

_"I only-" The older sister's eyes began watering as she slid down the doorway and onto her knees, no longer able to hold her composure. "I thought they'd be happy." She sobbed into her hands, feeling terrible._

_"Well, looks like someone was wrong." Jade mumbled while still rubbing soothing circles into Tori's back as she shook from the fear and sorrow that'd disrupted her life._

_"Please, just stop." Tori whispered her voice barely audible as she looked up to Jade. Her eyes begged for her to stop being mean, it was hurting her to hear her girlfriend use such venom in her words and it was killing Jade to see how broken Tori was becoming because of this. So she just nodded, weaving her pale fingers through the brunette's hair to pull her closer and hold her tightly._

_"Tori." Trina sobbed, crawling along the floor to reach the sister she had just let down. "Tori, forgive me." She whispered once reaching Tori, placing her hand on her knee while trying to make eye contact. It nearly killed her to look into those eyes as everything in them shattered. But she couldn't speak. Her younger sister only nodded as she swallowed hard to keep from choking up. "I know I haven't been the best sister to you, Tori." Trina nodded, still hurting inside from looking into her little sister's eyes. "But I promise, I'll always be there for you to take care of you. I never meant for this to happen."_

_Tori nodded, turning her head away to bury her face into Jade's chest. She could hear it, Jade's heart beating at a surprisingly steady and calm tempo despite what just happened. Jade sneered, a silent warning for Trina to back off now before making things worse. Trina listened, quickly scrambling up to her feet and retreating with her tail between her legs. As she shut the door behind her, she stood there for a moment listening as the walls seemed to close in around her. Tori's cries will forever whisper through these walls. Trina made a silent vow to the walls, the only thing listening, that she would be a better sister._

* * *

_"I can't do this." Jade's voice was shaking and filled with dread. She couldn't hide being gay from her own her parents forever but that didn't mean telling them didn't cause terror. She'd just watched the Vega family fall apart and even though she wasn't close with her own family, she didn't want to be disowned by her parents too. "I can't."_

_"It's ok, Jade." Tori whispered, squeezing Jade's hand for reassurance as they stood outside the West's front door. "You don't have to if you aren't ready." They'd been living together at Trina's for a month already as Jade avoided her parents even more than usual and now that the pieces had been gathered from the tragedy, she was afraid to let them all get shattered again. _

_"No, I want to." Jade nodded, swallowing hard as she took the doorknob and opened it, her grip on Tori's hand tightening as her heart jumped to her throat. She had called her parents beforehand to ask to speak with them and there they were, sitting casually on the living room couch waiting for her._

_"It's ok." Tori whispered again, placing her free hand against Jade's arm to calm her as she winced from Jade crushing her hand. Jade took the first step as Tori shut the door. They'd let go of each other as Jade walked to the living room to sit on the coffee table in front of her parents. Tori stood by the door, an odd request made earlier as a precaution. Jade didn't want Tori getting hurt in case shit hit the fan, and if she stayed by the door she could get away quicker._

_"Mom. Dad." Jade said while looking down at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with either of them. She played with her hands nervously as she began to tap her foot against the ground. "I wanted to tell you something. I want to apologize first," Tori's heart of gold had gotten to Jade over the past month, melting away the ice in her heart and making her want to be a better person. "I'm sorry that I haven't been the best daughter lately." _

_She swallowed, feeling everyone's eyes on her as she cleared her throat. "I'm gay." Her voice was faint, almost silenced by the fear as she visibly flinched and threw her arms before her face to avoid any abuse. When nothing happened, she carefully lowered her arms to see her parents smiling calmly. Her entire body breathed a sigh of relief as Tori cautiously made her way to Jade's side. "And Tori is my girlfriend." She smiled sheepishly, loving how that sentence sounded._

_The air escaped the Goth's lung in a sudden gasp as two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around her body as she stiffened in fear. But it was a warm embrace as both her parents hugged her tightly. She said nothing as they let go and sat back down, smiling proudly. "We know, hun." Her mother spoke as she rubbed her daughter's knee. Tori smiled, her heart coming down from a false heart attack as it filled with warmth and excitement. They'd accepted them._

_"We love you, Jadelyn." Her father spoke while motioning for Tori to take a seat beside Jade on the coffee table. _

_This was something they finally saw eye to eye on. Even with Jade's sudden absence in their own homes, they'd begun noticing subtle changes in her. It wasn't much and they knew it'd take a while for those castle walls to crumble, but they'd accepted her. She was gentler, kinder, and more polite; in her own subtle way and it hadn't gone unnoticed._

_"We think Tori is good for you." Jade's mother smiled while taking Tori's hand and softly squeezing as an unspoken thank you for slowly bringing Jade back to them. "We've always loved you hun." Ms. West hugged her daughter again. "We've just been scarred of you." She laughed as Jade rolled her eyes in a playful manner._

_"Thank you." Tori smiled; relieved to have Jade's parents being so accepting while secretly envying their love and acceptance where her parents couldn't. "This means so much to us."_

_"Yes, thank you." Jade nodded, lacing her fingers through Tori's hands without fear of reprimand._

_"We will always be here for you." Mr. West nodded, leaning forward to place a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Both of you." He corrected himself as he placed his other hand on Tori's shoulder. They all smiled to each other._

* * *

**~Several Years Later~**

Jade's parents had since never let Jade down. They'd worked together to help their daughter through her addiction. They'd all become closer, becoming the tight nit family they needed and the support beam that kept them together. Jade and Tori had moved into Trina's house not long after that day, having many nights together as the family Jade never had and the one Tori had lost. Jade hadn't made a complete one-eighty, she was still Jade, but she had learned to be nicer without losing what made her Jade.

Jade had proposed to Tori, never wanting to lose the love of her life that had turned her entire world upside down. They had their wedding at a surprise location chosen by Tori, revealed to Jade the day of their wedding. Tori had found the home where they'd filmed The Scissoring and they had their small wedding there with only their family and friends. Jade's parents proudly gave Tori away to their daughter, who wore a black dress in contrast to Tori's white. Still, Tori's family hadn't shown up. She'd invited them, hoping they would've finally come to terms with it and wanted to see her happy, but their seats remained empty with reserved signs on them. Trina was there as Tori's maid of honor, showing full support.

Jade was becoming a small sensation in the world of horror. She'd published a few books and had recently been offered a deal for one of her manuscripts for a movie. Tori's fame as a pop star was beginning to rise, her single hit written about the tragedy that struck them both down. Together they had moved out of Trina's house and gotten one of their own – a three story Victorian home in Los Angeles.

Trina had become a better sister, vowing to protect and serve. She'd since changed her ways and signed up for the LA police force. They'd accepted her with slight hesitation since she showed up to work daily in high heels. But they'd respected the woman for how well she could run in them and still be able to go through any obstacle in her way.

The group had remained friends since high school with Beck never returning from Canada. Andre had started his own music career, self-endorsing his own music since no label would sign him after finding his Diddly Bops video on the internet. Cat had become a children's book author, finding her childish ways best suited for children. Robbie was working his way through college at a Jet Brew, trying to get a career as a comedian and only having small gigs at his local Jet Brew.

The dust was finally settling in their lives...

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tori asked her wife as they sat together for breakfast, Jade looking over the manuscript for any mistakes after she'd been given a deal to turn it into a film.

"Yes, Vega. I am sure I want to do this." Jade smiled, raising her eyebrow to test Tori as she sipped at her coffee and hummed in delight from its fragrance and warmth.

"Well, it's just-" The half Latina fidgeted with the fork her hands as she poked at the scrambled eggs on her plate.

"Just spit it out, Tori." Jade laughed, pushing the manuscript across the table so it was out of her way as she reached out and placed her hand over Tori's.

"I thought you didn't like kids." Tori wined, as Jade laughed.

"I don't. But mini me and you's running around?" The woman shrugged while tracing a circle around the rim of her favorite coffee mug that read 'What do we want? Coffee! When do we want it? I'll fucking cut you.' Tori had bought it for her last Christmas and she'd since never used any other cup. "I could deal with that."

"I love you, Jade." Tori gushed, loving these simple moments they'd shared with each other when they were alone and the world didn't matter and all was well. They'd tested the subject of having kids for the past few years and had finally found the perfect way to have them together without any men involved.

"Don't get all mushy on me, Tori. You know I still hate that." Jade stood up, standing up behind the half Latina as she placed her pale hand beneath her wife's chin to tilt her head back. She smiled, leaning down to kiss those soft lips she adored before breaking away to refill her coffee. "I love you too." She said as the phone began ringing and she groaned in annoyance from having their little peace interrupted.

"Mind getting that?" Tori said in a rush as she placed her empty plate into the sink, rinsed it off, and quickly left the room to make her meeting with her record producer.

"Sure." Jade sighed, Tori already gone and the door swinging slowly from her exit. She took her time refilling her coffee as the phone rang, inhaling the sweet aroma as she answered the phone and groaned instead of saying hello.

"Hello?" An older woman whispered through the phone. "Is this Tori? Tori, this is your Mom." Jade said nothing, the anger simmering at the thought of the woman trying to communicate now. There was a moment of silence before there was a sigh from the other end before Holly continued. "I'm so sorry honey. I just wan-" A dial tone cut her off and Tori was standing in the door way with another phone to her ear after hanging up.

"You were listening?" Jade asked carefully, not wanting to break the fragile state Tori might be in now.

"I answered when I thought you wouldn't." She said, placing the phone on the counter while looking at the coffee pot and gazing into something only she could see. "I don't want to speak to her. She has no right to try and come back years later after just letting it fall apart." Tori gulped, picking the phone back up as she left the kitchen again with Jade's hand lingering in the air, wanting to grab the woman but being too late.

* * *

_**Well, here is what you all asked for! The beginning of the sequel to JBB. Hopefully that wasn't too confusing to follow...**_

_**Anyway, shout out to Invader Johnny - my new co-writer. We're bouncing ideas around for this one so I hope you all enjoy it. I forgot to give a shout out to my co-writer on JBB: Mandi.**_

_**Enjoy~ More to come soon enough.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Tori had gone to work immediately after the phone call, leaving Jade to worry as she overlooked her manuscript and outlined ideas for other stories on a whiteboard in their home office. She'd already had six cups of coffee since waking up this morning and she was buzzing from the caffeine as she quickly ran through her manuscript for what felt like the hundredth time. She cast it aside, letting it slide off the edge of the desk and on to the floor as she sighed and rested her head against the hard wood desk while tapping her foot through the air.

She'd taken the liberty of scheduling an appointment with the doctor they'd been talking to for later in the afternoon to talk about them genetically engineering a child. She texted Tori afterward, teasingly calling her Vega before letting her know they had an appointment today. Jade smirked to herself, musing about when they had argued about taking surnames and decided to agree to disagree by taking each other's last names. But that didn't mean Jade would stop teasing her wife by switching back and forth between calling her Vega or West. Tori West; she still liked how that sounded.

The phone rang, echoing down the hallway and through the office doors as the woman stood up and jogged down the hallway. She made sure to check the caller ID before answering the phone this time. It was only Trina. "Yes?" Jade said while holding the phone against her ear with her shoulder to pour the seventh cup of coffee for the morning.

"Jade? Good morning." Trina said as the sounds of a door shutting could be heard over the phone with muffled voices of distant conversations. "I'm doing an investigation. Do you have time?" She asked, fishing for a quick answer before she'd have to return to work since she was just lying now.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Jade took the phone in her hand again while sipping on the bitter sweetness of her black coffee.

"Well," she paused as she gasped, something crashing in the background. "Have you received any strange phone calls lately?" She said sounding rushed now.

"Strange?" Jade paused, toying with idea of telling her about their mother's phone call earlier but deciding it really wasn't that important. "No. Sorry." She sighed while still standing in the kitchen, practically vibrating from all the caffeine. She pulled her Pearphone from her pocket, a new text message from Tori appearing that simply read 'I'm so excited : )'.

Trina sounded annoyed as she exhaled loudly before hanging up with nothing more than a simple thanks. If it had been anyone other than Trina, Jade might have found that suspicious. But she had other things to think about as she texted Tori back saying 'I am too, baby.' She placed the phone back on its dock and returned her Pearphone to her pocket before grabbing her coffee and heading back to the office to keep writing.

* * *

Inside the sound studio, Tori was laying down the last track for her hit song with a thoughtful expression on her face. It wasn't very poppy or upbeat like all the other songs she had submitted to the label but she had written it years ago when she had gone into a depression. She sang softly with her eyes shuts to just let her emotions flow through the track. "Daddy ain't that bad he just plays rough. I ain't that scarred when I'm covered up. I leave the light on. I leave that light on. "

Her mind wandered, drifting through time and to that fateful day everything had fallen apart. His words were like daggers that had crippled her, leaving her unable to walk on her own for some time. Any time she'd ever thought of it, it was like she was back in that empty room and the phantom grip burned against her skin. _"I thought Trina was kidding. You ran away so you could get together with her?! That's an abomination!" _His words echoed through the soundproof room as she sang, a ghost voice that only she could hear._ "I will not allow one of my daughters to carry out this disgusting act. You're coming back to Chicago." _She rubbed her arm, feeling his grip on her even though he wasn't there; even though it had happened so many years ago.

"God bless the child with the dirty face who cuts her luck with a dirty ace. She leaves the light on. I leave that light on." The music faded in her headphones as she exhaled and placed them back over the microphone. "How was that?" She asked after opening her eyes and flashing a faint smile.

"That was great Mrs. West." The recorder spoke over the speakers then took his hand off the button when Tori walked out. "We're all done for today. We just need to clean up the track before releasing it as a single." The man stood up, obviously feeling awkward since he was just there to fill in for someone else that was supposed to be there for Epic Records.

"Alright, so we're all done?" Tori smiled, trying to not feel awkward but the man just seemed too nervous. "Have a good day Mr. Ikeman." She quickly left, feeling a little guilty for not being more polite but she had other places to be. She climbed into her mustang and started driving to pick up Jade while listening to a CD her and their friends had created in their free time the summer after graduation. The song playing now was a duet that her and Jade had done together covering Okay by Backhouse Mike. A smile crossed her face at the memories.

"About time, babe." Jade climbed into the car, leaning over to give a quick kiss to Tori before they were off to visit Dr. Cornbloom. They drove together, joking and singing along to the music before pulling into the parking lot of a small office building. "Sure you're ready for this?" Jade asked, taking Tori's hand after noticing that her spouse seemed a little nervous.

"Of course; I would be so proud to have a little spawn of Jade." Tori teased as she got out of the car. They walked inside together and into the office without bothering with the woman at the front desk. "Hello Dr. Cornbloom." Tori smiled, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness as the man turned around in his desk.

"Yeah, hi." Jade said, flipping her flowing black hair with purple streaks behind her shoulders before sitting down in a chair and crossing her legs. She was dressed casually in an all-black suit with a skirt and black stockings with a design of vines sewn into it. Tori was dressed in a nice pair of skinny black jeans, Jade's thigh high black boots from high school, and a purple plaid button up shirt with rolled up sleeves.

"Hello, ladies. We can go ahead with the procedure today thanks to Jade's donation the other week. We had genetically altered her egg to take on the characteristics of a male sperm so we can place it into one of yours." The doctor gestured to Tori as he explained it. "As you have already been made aware, because there is no male involved, you will of course have a female."

"This will work?" Jade raised a pierced brow but he simply smiled and nodded before taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his coat.

"Of course." He said as he adjusted them back to his face. He was easily in his forties, at the very least, with a well-kept beard that was beginning to grey. "Now Mrs. West, if I can have you change into this I will be back in a few minutes to take you to get comfortable to be prepped." The man stood up to leave after handing her a gown and exited as Jade gave a devious smile.

"No!" Tori warned before motioning for Jade to turn away. She rolled her eyes but obeyed as she turned her head to look at the strange diagrams of the human body. She snuck glances every so often as Tori undressed and put on the gown. "Okay." Tori smiled sheepishly while handing Jade her clothes, her heart beating frantically from the anxiety.

"Okay." Jade repeated with amusement as she tossed the clothes behind her on the chair and stood up, wrapping her arms around Tori's waist while leaning in to tease the woman. Tori blushed while weakly trying to push Jade away as her grin grew wider with each unsuccessful attempt at getting away, flirting with each other in their own way. "You'll soon have two little spawns in you." The Goth teased as Tori scrunched her face together in a mock scowl, causing a low chuckle to escape from Jade.

"I hope you're decent." Dr. Cornbloom came in through the door with his hand over his eyes before peeking to see Jade still holding possessively on to her wife. "Mrs. Vega, kiss your wife on your own time." He mused as Jade let go and picked up Tori's clothes.

"Oh, I will." She purred as she walked to the door and paused with her hand on the handle. "I'll be in the waiting room." The woman left as Tori nervously played with the edge of her light blue gown.

* * *

"The procedure went flawlessly. Mrs. West's egg accepted yours without any problems." Dr. Cornbloom had come into the waiting room pushing Tori in a wheelchair before he stood in front of Jade who was still buzzing after typing furiously at her Pearbook while waiting. "I will ask that you come back monthly to ensure that no complications arise. If there should be any problems, you know how to reach me. Any questions?" He asked as Jade stood up, placing Tori's clothes in her lap as the woman sat in the wheelchair.

"Nope. Thanks, doc." Jade smiled as Dr. Cornbloom held onto the wheelchair, Tori carefully standing up as Jade quickly took her arm to help hold her up.

"Have a nice day. Make sure she gets plenty of rest." He walked away, taking the wheelchair back with him as Jade carefully held Tori up to walk.

"How do you feel, baby?" Jade whispered as she held Tori's arm around her shoulders, carefully seating the groggy woman into the passenger side of the car as she mumbled something incoherent in response. "I guess I will tell you now; I already told Trina. She's the only who knows that we've gone through with this." Jade said before buckling Tori in and returning to the driver's side to go home. They'd become a lot closer to Trina then they'd ever thought they would've, so Trina was always included in their lives.

They pulled into the driveway of their Victorian home, Jade shutting off the car and quickly coming around to take Tori inside. "I'm so happy." The half Latina smiled, feeling as light as a feather as Jade carried inside. Jade simply smiled, remembering their wedding day when Jade had carried Tori back down the aisle before climbing into their chariot.

Jade undressed Tori after she'd knocked out after hitting the bed and fallen asleep then redressed her into boxer shorts and a tank top. The Goth stood over the unconscious woman for a moment, simply enjoying how peaceful she looked as she slept. Jade pulled the blankets over the woman, planting a soft kiss against the coffee colored skin of her wife. She loved everything about the girl, secretly enjoying the fact that her skin was the same shade of her favorite drink. "Sleep well, baby." She whispered before changing into something similar and walking out of the room.

Her Pearphone vibrated in her pocket as she scrambled to answer, finally taking time today to unwind and relax. She'd been sitting on the living room couch watching episodes of 1,000 Ways to Die on TV while laughing to herself for the past couple of hours over the sheer stupidity of her fellow human kind. "Hello?" She called through the phone after answering and not checking to see who it was.

"Jaaade! Hiii." Trina sang from the other end, obviously in a false and overly cheery mood. "So how's my lil sis doing?" She asked while beating around the bush, hiding something from Jade and not doing very well at hiding it.

"She's still asleep but she's okay." Jade answered; too tired to try and torture Trina for whatever the strange woman was hiding. If she had something to say to her, she will spill eventually.

"That's great." She sang again nervously. "Soooo… Holly called me today." She squeeked after saying it, afraid that Jade would reprimand her for bringing it up. She could hear Jade exhale slowly before growling and she shivered remembering the conversation she'd had earlier.

_"Holly." Trina said, void of emotion as her tone was flat._

_"Trina, dear. How are you?" Holly said through the phone trying to make it sound as if they hadn't spent the past several years not speaking to each other._

_"What do you want?" The daughter spat back, not wanting to deal with any small talk and wanting nothing more than to just hang up._

_"I need a favor."_

_"No." She immediately spat, the venom in her word sinking into her mother who was hurt now._

_"Please, dear." Holly whispered, begging pitifully._

_"What?" Trina sighed, exasperated by this conversation and the mere existence of such a deplorable human being._

_"How is your younger sister, Tori?"_

_"Tori? What the fuck do you care?" Trina laughed, burning with anger at this woman who was trying to weasel her way back into her daughter's lives after just leaving them behind._

_"Honey, sweetie." Holly spoke slowly, sniffling from the other end as Trina scoffed. "Tori won't answer my calls. I tried to call her this morning. I just want to apologize, I'm worried for her."_

_"You're worried?!" Trina shouted, nearly losing it over the thought. "Did you or did you not abandoned Tori?" She asked seriously now, her words having a cold inclination to them._

_"Well, no. You don't understa-"_

_"Did you or did you not disown her?!" Trina interrupted, gritting her teeth as she spoke._

_"No, I-"_

_"Did you not disown your daughter, Holly?!" Trina yelled again, not afraid of hurting the woman who had left her daughters broken and holding no respect for her because she'd let it happen and never bothered to speak with them after._

_"Yes!" The woman sobbed through the phone, choking as she tried to remain silent._

_"Then there is nothing more to say. She doesn't need you and her and Jade are beginning a family of their own now to be the parents that you could never be." With that, Trina hung up and immediately realized her mistake. She'd shared a personal detail of Tori's life with the mother who had left and abandoned them._

"What do you mean she called?" Jade growled, frustrated already on where this conversation was going.

"It just slipped." Trina spoke quickly, nervously, as she was still afraid of incurring Jade's wrath. "She knows you two are having children. I'm sorry!" Trina's voice rose as she apologized and Jade growled, the dial tone following shortly after to signal Jade's disapproval after hanging up.


	3. Chapter 3

Jade fumed, pacing the floor angrily while clutching her Pearphone. She was furious, but she couldn't be mad at Trina. It wasn't her fault. That woman was still their mother and they'd grown up telling her everything. It was just a habit that they couldn't help. The home phone rang and Jade's heart skipped a beat when she could her Tori scrambling around upstairs through the ceiling. "I got it baby, don't worry!" She yelled while stumbling over to the kitchen and picking up the phone. She already saw this coming.

"What do you want?" She'd calmed down, showing no emotion and letting her voice be monotone.

"She's pregnant?" The woman on the other side asked, sounding utterly heartbroken.

"Yes."

"Can I talk to her, Jade?" The woman pleaded on the other end as Jade sneered.

"No, you can't. She needs to rest. She doesn't need you." Jade spoke while keeping her eyes on the ceiling and glaring, praying Tori hadn't picked up the phone again.

"Please, dear. I want to apologize. I want to be there for her." She begged again, though it was a hopeless cause.

"No, Holly. You aren't a part of this family anymore. You aren't a part of her life anymore. You lost that right when you let David control you. Not like you care anyway." Jade spoke darkly. "Isn't that what you wanted? Holly."

"Jade." Her voice cracked. The fragile state she'd been in over the years was coming apart and Jade had just thrown her fist through the glass and broke it apart. "I am still her mother." Her voice was a mere whisper as she began falling apart. But Jade was right. As much as it hurt, Jade was right. She'd let it fall apart. She stood by David because he was her husband and she loved him. So she gave up her daughters for him; for some peace. He'd never it go. "I wanted to be there." She choked, trying not to sob. "I wanted to be there for your wedding."

"But you weren't! That was your last chance to be a part of our lives!" Jade yelled before exhaling slowly, keeping her eyes on the stairs in case her wife would come down. She spoke quietly now as she stalked down the hallway and into the office, shutting the doors behind her for a little more privacy. "You weren't there, Holly. Tori had hoped you two would've gotten over your bigotry but it looks like you two couldn't just suck it up for the sake of your own daughter's happiness."

"I'm trying now." Holly was crying on the other end but Jade was too engulfed in her own rage to care or even slow down now. She was a freight train barreling down the tracks and the breaks were out.

"Did you know she cried on our wedding night because you and David weren't there?" Jade paused, letting it sink in as she heard Holly gasp between sobs. "Her own parents. It was supposed to the happiest day of our lives and I had to keep her from falling apart as I held her all night." With that, the anger washed away as her mind wandered back.

_The reception was over. The guests began parting with their congratulations for the happily married couple. With each congratulation, Tori's façade began slipping. Her own parents hadn't come to her wedding and it sunk in more as person started leaving after saying a few words. Every time it hurt more because it wasn't her parents. They didn't care._

_Her wife began taking notice of this, giving false smiles to each person while keeping a watchful eye on Tori West because even though she wanted to comfort her, now wasn't the time to bring a storm to rain on their parade. It hurt to watch as each person caused the cracks to spread as her smile wavered more and more._

_They got through the congratulations and goodbyes as they climbed back into the carriage together, cuddling beneath a blanket as Tori rested her head against Jade's shoulder. Her eyes grew cloudy as she gazed into the distance with Jade doing nothing more than holding her for comfort. She wouldn't hear anything her wife would say anyway, her mind had checked out as a sorrowful expression hung on her face._

_"Do you think they care anymore? About me?" Tori said her voice airy and light as Jade rubbed soothing circles into her back. "Do you think they still worry about me?" Her arms wrapped around the Goth's waist, holding her as she buried her face into the black silk of Jade's wedding dress._

_"I think," Jade paused, trying to think of the words to say. "I think they've made their choice. We tried to give them a chance to be the bigger person. That's all we could do, babe." She whispered while resting her chin on Tori's head and sighing. She was more upset than hurt by their decision but they'd made their bed with sheets of bigotry and now they had to lie in it._

_The clatter of the horse's hooves came to a stop as the carriage pulled in front of their home. Tori was shaking violently now as Jade removed the blanket and got out first. She extended her hand out as Tori took it and carefully stepped out. They went back inside together in a solemn silence as they went upstairs to change out of their dresses. Tori hadn't even finished before she was on her knees on the floor holding herself and sobbing into her hands._

_"Come here. Shhh, come on." Jade rushed over to her side, kneeling down on the ground and wrapping her arms around her wife. They were supposed to be happy. They were supposed to be enjoying the fact that they had vowed to spend their lives with each other. The night would be forever tainted and Jade was never going to forgive them._

_Jade tried to lift Tori from the ground to at least move her to the bed, but she couldn't get the woman up. She seemed heavier now even though she had just carried not a few hours ago down the aisle. She walked away, returning with a shirt as she put it over Tori since she hadn't finished getting dressed. Her pale fingers ran over Tori's tattoo, just under her left breast, as she pulled the shirt all the way down. Tori had gotten a tattoo after coming through the depression of the tragic incident. It was a golden microphone, the wire following beneath the curve and spelling out Make It Shine. She'd pulled through, and that was how she wanted to commemorate her accomplishment._

_They remained on the floor in that spot all night in silence. The only time Jade moved was to get up and get a glass of water and aspirin for Tori since crying too much gave her a headache. Tori finally cried herself to sleep and Jade was able to pick her up now and put her to bed. The next day, Tori had woken up to try and call her mother to talk. Jade sat by her side throughout the entire phone call, silently soothing her while holding her hand. She just wanted to understand._

_"Hello?" Holly answered, David in the background saying goodbye before heading to work._

_"Mom?" Tori exclaimed. A chill ran down her spine after hearing her mother's voice._

_"Tori?" She sounded confused and Tori visibly slumped down, feeling her heart sink._

_"Yes. Why didn't you come?" She asked, trying not to sound too disappointed._

_"To your wedding? Tori West and Jade Vega?" Her mother scoffed as Tori's face distorted to a look of agony._

_"Yes. I would've hoped that by now you would've gotten over it; that you would just want me to be happy with the person I love." Tori choked on those last few words; love. She truly loved this woman and it hurt her that her mother didn't want any part of it._

_"I don't want to hear this, Tori. Your love is a sin and I won't support that." Holly said in a tone of disgust._

_There was a pause, a moment of silence as Tori held her hand over her mouth to keep from crying while holding the phone away from her. A small cry escaped her throat before she put the phone back to her face, able to hold it together for just a few more seconds. "Ok, Holly. You've made your choice. I feel sorry for you." Without letting her mother retort, she hung up and completely broke down in to Jade's arms as she slowly rocked back and forth._

"I'll never forgive you for what you did to her. She didn't leave the bed for a week after the wedding. I had to pick up the shattered pieces of my wife right after our wedding day because of you." Jade said, shaking from the anger she was trying to keep inside. She hung up but stayed in the office for a minute or two to breathe and cool down. Once she finished shaking, she opened the doors and walked back down the hall. "Good afternoon." She said apathetically, trying to act like she was just tired instead of emotionally drained.

"Hi baby. Sorry I passed out the other evening." Tori turned around on the couch to give an apologetic smile that was returned with a sleepy nod as Jade made her way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

"It's ok. You needed to rest." Jade shrugged with her back to Tori as she poured herself a cup and sighed. She rubbed the bridge of her nose after shutting her eyes before turning back around. What was she going to tell her? Should she even tell her about Holly?

Tori just nodded, watching Jade carefully but feeling pretty used to a cranky Jade without coffee. "I just called my producer." She paused while waiting for Jade to sit down on the couch next to her. "I have the next few days free after finishing the last song. They want me to return with a few new ones." She picked up Jade's legs to place them across her lap and rubbed them gently.

"That's good." Jade smiled, pulling out her phone. She sipped her coffee while typing out a text message. She hit send and set it on the coffee table, sighing happily from the cup of warm bliss in her hands. She moaned in delight before looking to Tori and stretching her hand out to play with the brunette's long wavy hair. "I just told my manager I won't be in for a week. We have these next few days just for us." She smirked playfully.

"Good. Do you remember when you proposed to me?" Tori asked out of the blue, looking at the beautiful black gold diamond ring that Jade had given her. Jade rolled her eyes as she curled a brunette lock around her fingers while groaning in a mock annoyance. Tori laughed, taking Jade's other hand to play with the black wedding band around her finger. "You do remember, right?" She asked again with a shy smile.

"Of course I do, West. Why?" Jade asked, trying to figure out where exactly Tori was going with this or if she really just felt like taking a trip down memory lane. They'd gotten married and because of Tori's sorrow, they never had a honeymoon. They never brought up that week and never spoke about planning a honeymoon like they did before getting married. Where was Tori going with this?

"We took a trip to the Lafayette cemetery in the middle of the night. I was following you around as we just walked around and you said we'd gotten lost. You seemed annoyed and I was almost afraid after finding ourselves in the cemetery. I thought you were finally going to murder me and bury me in an unmarked grave." Tori chuckled as Jade nodded. "Do you remember?"

_It was cold out; cold enough to see the smoke in the air every time they exhaled or spoke. The night was beautiful and silent as the full moon overhead made everything glow. Jade was in an eerie silent mood as the half Latina followed in step with the Goth. Tori kept the conversation going, joking around and just talking as Jade occasionally just groaned in annoyance. Eventually, Tori was silent as well. She laced her coffee colored fingers through her girlfriend's stark white ones to walk with her hand in hand._

_"Tori." Jade said slowly, trying to not sound worried, otherwise she would just freak Tori out. Tori's grip tightened, tensing from a sense of dread after Jade spoke. "Tori, I think we're lost." She said while stopping to look around to confirm it. Tori looked around, nodding while holding onto Jade's arm for protection, not recognizing any of the streets._

_"Let's just keep going." Tori said while tugging Jade's arm. She gulped after Jade flashed her a wicked grin and led the way as they kept walking. Tori's heart began beating rapidly as Jade seemed to walk with a purpose, like she knew where she was going even though Tori had no clue. They hadn't been away from each other long enough her for Jade to be able to explore so much and this made her nervous._

_"Hey." Jade grinned and pointed to an iron gate as Tori shock her head no. "Come on." Jade pulled Tori along, pushing her through the gates as Jade kept walking to take the lead. Tori slowly followed a few feet behind as her gut told her to run. She started worrying that maybe Jade hadn't changed at all and it had taken her this long to come up with a great way to get of Tori for good; in a grave in another state._

_When Jade stopped in front of a statue of an angel; Tori stood still, frozen in fear as she imagined Jade turning around to reveal her plan of how she had taken all this time to make Tori trust her to lead her here and kill her. Jade stood ominously still as this scenario kept playing itself out in Tori's head as she began to feel hurt and betrayed. She jumped when Jade abruptly turned around, the small black box in hand giving Tori a heart attack. Jade got down on one knee and smiled as Tori exhaled, her lungs thanking her for breathing again after holding it for so long. "You scared me half to death." Tori cried out, her lip quivering._

_"Only half?" Jade joked, waving her finger for Tori to come closer. Tori was shaking now, relieved that this wasn't some elaborate murder plot that Jade had come up with. Jade opened the box, the black diamond glinting beautifully in the moonlight. "Tori Vega, would you do me the honor of being my wife? To spend the rest of your life as mine? And I'll be yours, evermore." She smiled, taking the ring out of the box and sliding it over Tori's finger as she shook. She knocked Jade backwards and onto the ground after throwing herself at her in excitement. She laughed, her voice shaking as she pulled her fiancée in for a long passionate kiss._

"Yes. I had a nice bruise at my shoulder blades because of you." Jade laughed at the memory as Tori just nodded with a distant smile on her face.

"That was the happiest day of my life. Your promise to me that you would be the light guiding me through the darkness I was in." Tori smiled, still spinning the black wedding band around Jade's finger.

"You were my light first, Tori. You truly did 'make it shine'." Jade smiled, still running her fingers through Tori's long hair. Tori nodded, deciding that the point she had to this shouldn't be brought up. They should just enjoy the next few days alone together without worrying over it because Tori knew. She was upstairs listening to the entire conversation. She'd grabbed the phone just before it rang to call her producer but instead became the unknown listener to Jade's conversation. She wanted to say that she was okay now, that Jade didn't have to be so vicious even if that was just the way she protected her. It was okay. Perhaps Jade had finally gotten to the woman and she would stop calling.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! I couldn't hold back until tomorrow. I just had to post it now since I had them both all ready.**_

* * *

The next few days were spent relaxing and simply enjoying each other's company. They'd visited Jade's parents to have dinner together as they teased each other and poked fun. Tori was beginning to feel small waves of nausea in the morning as a symptom of the pregnancy. She held herself together pretty well, not trying to be overly emotional. Jade's job was something she could do from home so she'd let her manager know that she would only be in when she was needed, otherwise don't except to see her for a while. Tori had gone in with a few new lyrics for songs which were quickly approved despite their deep depressing under tone. She hadn't shown Jade the lyrics if only to avoid being questioned.

The doorbell rang as a dark tune played throughout the house, courtesy of Jade. Tori answered the door, a cheery red hair beaming on the other end as she threw her arms in the air and screamed excitedly. "Tori! It's been so long! How are you? How's Jade? How's your music? How's her scary writing?" She rattled off quickly while squeezing Tori tightly.

"I'm fine, Cat." Jade said as she came up from behind Tori, holding her arms out with a questioning look to Cat who squealed and jumped ships to hugging Jade. "My manager will be spending the next month or so looking for actors to fit the roles in my manuscript." Cat let go when Robbie showed up.

"Hey cheekbones." He greeted Tori while waving awkwardly before taking Cat's hand. She giggled and they went inside, taking seats at the poker table to play as Cat shuffled the cards.

"Anyone want anything to drink?" Jade asked while pouring herself a glass of red wine and placing at her spot on the table. Tori sat down, sipping on the tea she already had while waiting for Cat to finish shuffling.

"I'll take apple juice!" Cat exclaimed, accidently throwing the cards before laughing and counting as she picked them up. She skipped three when Jade just shook her head and just left it alone.

"Cat, we don't have apple juice." Jade said looking the fridge and grabbing V8 juice. She handed it Cat, interrupting her thought process at forty two and causing her start over.

"Water's fine." Robbie said while leaning back in his chair. He'd sold Rex a couple of years ago upon Cat's request and because his job wouldn't allow him to work with a puppet attached to his hand. He'd since grown a little less awkward, learning to speak for himself. The doorbell rang again as Jade placed his glass on the table and went to answer it.

"Hey there party people." Andre said, dancing as he walked in. He took his seat after nodding to Jade and hugging Tori. "Who's ready to lose some money?" He said rubbing his hands together feeling confident.

"You better watch yourself, Harris." Jade grinned, finally taking a seat next to her wife and taking the deck from Cat. "They're shuffled enough!" She shouted as she paused them around, giving everyone two as the game started.

"So ladies, what's new in your lives?" Robbie said, contemplating over his hand, looking at the chips in the pot and the remaining stack he had. Jade glanced at Tori, questioning with just a look on whether they should share the news or not. Tori nodded, looking her cards over once more against the river cards. She threw in her chips and leaned back.

"Well." Jade said, throwing chips in without hesitating. "Tori and I have something to tell you all." Cat gulped, nervous from Jade's confidence after her turn and folding under the pressure.

"I'm pregnant." Tori said as Andre nearly choked on his water before congratulating them.

"But you're a girl, Jade." Cat said slowly, trying to connect the dots in her head but not finding a connection. Her expression changed as she knit her brows together trying to think. Everyone laughed as she pouted.

"No, Cat. We saw a doctor." Jade shook her head as she revealed her hand after Robbie. She laughed, wrapping her arms around the pile of chips and pulling them with a greedy look in her eyes.

"Ooooh." Cat smiled, still not connecting the dots but nodding anyway.

"That's great guys, really." Robbie smiled, a little bummed at losing that hand.

"Seriously, I know you two have been thinking about it for a while. How cute would it be to have little Jade's running around?" Andre laughed, holding his about two feet from the ground to emphasize his point as Jade glared at him then to Tori who had to tell him everything because he was still her best friend.

"Oh my God! How adorable!" Cat's grin grew from ear to ear at the thought before chuckling and dancing in her seat.

"Never. Use adorable or cute to describe me again." Jade said with a fire in her eyes as she gave a verbal warning.

"Oh but Jade, you're just adorable when you're s-"

"Shut it, West!" Jade yelled, placing her palms against the table while staring wide eyed at Tori and angry as she just laughed while avoiding eye contact.

"Alright , alright. So how long has been?" Andre said trying to be the peace keeper.

"A few weeks." Tori shrugged knowing they would have to see Dr. Cornbloom again soon. Cat clapped, silently trying to be excited before drinking her V8 juice.

"Isn't Trina supposed to be here?" Robbie asked as a new hand was dealt. They got together at least once a month and Trina was normally with them every time. Jade just shook her head as Tori shrugged.

"She said something came up without going in to detail." Tori said before folding her hand and sighing.

"It's not like it's strange or anything. Probably has a booty call." Jade joked as she placed her bet and walked away to refill her glass and get everyone else refills. Tori just rolled her eyes at the comment before drinking her tea and watching everyone else play.

The hands continued as they talked like they always do. Tori was the first one to get knocked out and run out of chips. Robbie followed soon after then Cat. It was between Andre and Jade at the end of the night who finally just decided to go all in to declare a victor. When they revealed their hands and Jade won, she was immediately called a cheater as she bellowed out in laughter. Everyone dug into their pockets for a twenty as she took them happily. She'd told Tori she will take her payment in another way later tonight, causing her to blush as everyone else laughed under their breath.

The night came to an end as they all left, promising to bring some snacks and drinks for the next they all got together so Jade and Tori weren't always playing hostess. Jade had had a little too much wine to drink, feeling way too good to want to sleep now as she tried to get Tori to lighten up. It was already really late and Tori wasn't feeling very well anymore so she had simply gave Jade a deep passionate kiss to satisfy her enough so that she could stalk away and go to bed. Jade protested but knowing that her wife wasn't completely herself while pregnant, she let it go as she sat down on the couch to watch a few late night horror movies on TV.

She jolted awake, nearly falling off the couch after falling asleep without realizing it. There was a woman on the screen amusingly being trapped in a car by a man with a chainsaw as she escaped through the broken back window to crash onto the ground. Jade chuckled as she moved to sit straight up and check her phone. It was almost four in the morning and she felt for neglecting the bed with Tori all night. She stood up, shutting off the TV to make her way upstairs and stand in the doorway. For a moment, she just stood there admiring her wife's peaceful state as she laid sprawled across the bed in her sleep. She only did that when she was alone.

The phone rang, suddenly really loud after enjoying the silence for a few minutes. Tori only shifted in her sleep, unaffected by sound as Jade rushed to answer it and leave the room. "No." Jade growled at the innocent telemarketer who was usually the only person on the other end at this indecent hour.

"Hello?" The voice whispered, barely audible through the speaker on the phone but it was familiar. "Can I speak with Tori?" The feminine voice said.

"She's asleep." The woman answered while descending down the stairs to sit at the bottom step.

"I would like to see her." The woman pushed.

"Well you can't, lady. She's asleep." Jade groaned at the persistent ways of this person.

"Can you please wake her?" The woman said, testing Jade's patience as she was getting on the woman's nerves.

"No. Like I said before, she is asleep. I can take a message." She said while tapping her foot impatiently as she sat.

"Let her know her mother called and needs to speak with her."

"No! Stop calling before I gouge your eyes out with my scissors!" Jade growled, hanging up and slamming the phone against the step before impulsively calling the woman back. "Don't ever call back here. You aren't wanted here. You aren't-"

"Excuse me?" A man answered, sounding shocked by the tone of voice this woman was using with her.

"Who is this?" Jade asked taken aback, suddenly confused.

"I am doctor. May I ask who I am speaking with?" He asked, remaining professional by sounding polite.

"Jade." She said, not wishing to divulge anything more. "I just received a call from a woman named Holly at this number." She said, trying to explain the mix up.

"Ah, yes. Mrs. Vega was emitted into our hospital just this evening. I cannot share with you any further details as to why. Are you a friend?" He asked.

"Daughter-in-law." Jade asked, horrified by this news and worrying about Tori's mental well-being for when this news would be broken to her.

"Ah, well that's different. You may visit but you will be required to have a blood relative with you to be allowed into the room. I will give you the address. Do you have a pen and paper?" He asked, the sound of him typing on a keyboard coming up in the background when he fell silent.

Jade put her Pearphone on speaker as she pulled up a blank text to type it out. "Go." She said as he rattled off the address and she added it to her phone. "Got it." She said, taking him back off speaker before saying goodbye and hanging up. She tapped her foot nervously, worrying about the woman now but recognizing the hospital as one here in LA. It was the same Robbie had gone to when he had a car parked up his butt. But what was she doing in LA? She returned upstairs to Tori's side in bed and held on to her from behind, worrying over all the possible scenarios where it could affect Tori's health that she could think of until finally drifting to sleep with her face deeply buried into Tori's hair.


	5. Chapter 5

The sounds of someone coughing up a lung awoke Jade from her sleep the next morning. She looked around; the place where her wife had been was empty but warm. She must have gotten up a few minutes ago to lock herself in the bathroom. Jade quickly jumped out from the bed to rush to the sick woman's side. She burst through the door to find Tori with her head in the toilet, dry coughing since she hadn't eaten anything all night. Jade came up behind her to hold Tori's hair and rub her back as she sat up and wiped her mouth.

"I'm okay." She said while breathing heavily but still not getting up from the floor. She kept flinching, like she would vomit at any second but never did.

"Come on." Jade said while placing her arms under Tori's to lift her up and help her to the living room. They made their way downstairs as Tori fell on to the couch like a ragdoll, groaning as her face hit the cushion. Jade couldn't help but smirk, still finding a bit of twisted amusement in this. "I'll get you some water. Then I need to go run some errands and I'll return right after." She leaned over, kissing Tori's forehead before going into the kitchen for the water. She'd decided how she was going to handle this situation with Holly.

She grabbed a few vitamins before returning, sitting on the coffee table across from Tori while holding the glass of water in one hand and the pills in another. She grinned, raising her eyebrow to Tori before speaking like she was a wise omnipotent being. "You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." She wasn't going to tell Tori. But she decided to let Tori make the decision without her knowing. If she said blue, Jade would tell her about her mother. If she said red, she was going to handle how she thought it should be handled.

Tori looked at her like she'd lost her mind but Jade only gave a coy grin in return, revealing nothing as she waved her hand in front of Tori. She took the pills and the glass, swallowing them while searching Jade's expression before answering. "I pick Wonderland." She gulped down some water, placed it on the coffee table beside Jade, and plopped back onto the couch groaning from the nausea.

"Ok. I need to go now." She stood up and handed Tori the remote for the TV and left. She climbed into her car, a 68 black Cadillac hearse, and drove to the hospital the doctor had given her. She walked with a purpose and right passed the woman at the front desk since she wasn't a blood relative. He'd given her the room number and she made her way to the elevator to her floor and barged into the room.

"Jade?" Holly gasped at the sight of the raven haired witch. The woman was covered in bruises and a few minor scratches. Other than that, it didn't seem like it was anything too serious.

"Holly." She growled and stood at the end of the bed with her arms crossed before picking up the clipboard to flip through the notes made by the doctors. Assault and battery by an unknown assailant, robbed, and left in an alley way. "I think you're faking." She said bluntly before placing the clipboard back. Holly looked away with a sad expression that Jade decided to just ignore. "I think you're doing this for pity. I think you're faking this because it would easier for your daughters to accept you back if feel pity for you."

"I'm not faking this." Holly said tearfully causing Jade to sneer in disbelief.

"I don't care either way. I haven't told Tori or Trina. I won't let them fall in to your trap because then you would win too easily after all the problems you've caused. I've been the one running around picking up the pieces and I won't let you just pop back into their lives that easily and shatter it again. Not Tori. You aren't doing that again to her. If I tell them, they will be there for you only out of pity. If you really want to try and get back into this family, you won't be doing it out of pity. Not as long as Tori is my wife." Holly opened her mouth to interject but Jade silenced her with a finger. "No. They won't know. If you tell them, my scissors will make sure you make a visit to the emergency room. Don't speak. Do you understand?"

"Ye-"

"I said don't speak. Just nod." Jade threw her hands onto the bed, her knuckles turning white from squeezing the bar. Holly gulped, nodding slowly as Jade glared at her. "Good. Is David here in LA with you?" Holly shook her head no and Jade nodded. "I don't know what your reason is for taking so damn long to try and pry your way back into our lives, and frankly I don't care. I think it's too late now for you. I don't want you back and I don't care if this 'accident' was real or faked." She used her fingers to quote accident. "If you're going to be here, you're going to have try harder. Actually try. Don't you dare use pity as a form of connecting to them; got that?" She raised her eyebrow while crossing her arms in front of her. Holly just nodded, obeying the scary woman before she stormed out the room and yelling at an officer who bumped into her without paying attention.

"Excuse me. Do you see the badg-" The woman stopped to take a closer look before sounding shocked. "Jade?" It was Trina on duty at the hospital. Jade was still walking away, having not noticed that she'd run into Trina by accident until she turned around and rolled her eyes. "Jade, what're you doing here?"

"I could the same of you." She said while walking back and yawning.

"I'm here doing an investigation on a theft case." She said shrugging like it was just a typical every day thing. It was, in her line of work.

"Oh?" She said raising her eye brow, wondering how much she'd been told on the case. "Do you have a name of the victim?" Trina looked away to think before giving a cocky smile.

"No. I left without listening to the rest of the story." She shrugged sheepishly like it wasn't something she normally did. Jade doubted that but grinned, suddenly wanting to stick around to see this.

"Well, I believe the person you're looking for is right here." She smirked, gesturing to the room she'd just come out of when Trina gave her a questioning glance.

"You know the victim?" She asked while placing her hand on the handle.

"Oh, so do you." Jade pushed the door open for Trina. She immediately tensed up, standing straighter with a serious expression on her face as Jade followed her in.

"I am Officer Vega. I'll be investigating the incident from last night." She said with complete professional, acting like this woman wasn't her mother and was just another faceless victim.

"You're an officer now?" Holly asked with an almost proud look on her face as Trina just cleared her throat. Jade took a seat in the corner of the room, crossing her legs to get comfortable and see how this plays out. Trina just picked up the clipboard, flipping through the pages before placing it back and making some notes on her little note pad.

"Mrs. Vega. Do you remember what your attacker looked like?" She said to just get to the point and get out of there faster.

"No. The person was wearing a ski mask so I couldn't see their face." She shrugged before looking away.

"Did your attacker say anything to you?" She said, making a note about the ski mask.

"No." She answered. Trina nodded, scribbling more notes.

"Can you describe the events as you remember them?" She asked while looking up from her note pad without once changing her expression. Jade was impressed by the restraint and professional Trina was showing. She'd never actually seen Trina at work, and this side of her was quiet a change from who she used to be.

"I was trying to visit my daughter, Tori. I'd recently found her address online and was going to walk there. It got dark quickly and that's when it happened. It just seemed to happen so fast. He came up from behind me, wrapping a rope around my neck until I got light headed. I fell to the ground and all I remember was being hit at every angle. After what felt like forever, he finally just took my wallet and ran off." She sounded nervous as she spoke, her eyes tearing as she kept her eyes on the ground. Jade scoffed in the corner, Trina turning back to give a look to cut it out and Jade just shrugged her shoulders.

"You didn't fight back as he was strangling you? And you're sure that the person was a man?" She asked while taking the statement and not looking up.

"I tried. I kicked and swung at him but it was like hitting a brick wall." Holly sniffled, carefully wiping her eyes and wincing from the pain.

"Thank you, Holly. I will continue to look into this but as it stands, this is the first random attack in a few months so we don't much to go off of." Trina clicked her pen, placing the note pad back into a pouch on her belt and putting the pen back in her shirt pocket. Holly's face looked hurt by the fact that now both of daughters refused to acknowledge her as Mom. She'd been the one to distance herself from them, so it was only to be expected that they would treat her coldly but she really hadn't seen that coming. "Have a nice day, Mrs. Vega. I will contact you when I have a lead." Trina motioned to Jade that it was time to go as Jade's childlike grin refused to disappear. This was too amusing to her.

"You didn't tell me who it was." Trina whined after the door shut behind them.

"You're the Officer. You should've known before coming." Jade shrugged the grin on her face wide as she mused over what just transpired.

"Does Tori know?" She asked, worried now for her little sister.

Jade shook her head. "No. I thought it would be better for her, in her present condition, to not have to worry over her mother. It would be too easy if Holly just won her heart back with pity and I will not let that happen. That woman doesn't deserve it to be easy when it wasn't easy for us." Jade said biting back the anger as she clenched her fists.

Trina nodded as the gears in her head were at motion while she thought it over. "You're right." Trina admitted while biting at her lip.

"Of course I'm right." Jade scoffed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I need a favor." Jade said uncomfortably before sighing.

"Yeah, sure." Trina said without hesitation as Jade just gave her an apologetic pleading look. Trina's face went from concentrating on what Jade was trying ask than to shock before shaking her head. "No."

"Please, Treen. Tori can't see Holly like that. You know this. Please, let her stay at your house until she recovers and just keep her away from Tori." Jade pleaded, feeling silly for having to beg for anything.

"No. No, no, nooo, no." Trina sang in a chorus of no's as Jade flashed her puppy dog eyes. She exhaled slowly, still shaking her head. "Fine; but you owe me!" Trina said quickly. Jade rolled her eyes while groaning but nodded.

"Thanks." She said as Trina pulled open her notebook and wrote down her address. She ripped it out and handed it to Jade with an annoyed expression. "What?" Jade asked before taking it.

"You give it to her. Tell her she will be staying with me. Let her know I have a retired German Shepard that can attack on command." She said as she threw Jade through the door.

"Why?" Jade barked while glaring at Trina for being quick to throw her under the bus.

"Because I said so." Trina whined before waving and leaving. Jade groaned again while placing the note on Holly's tray.

"You're staying there when you get out of here. The owner wanted to let you know she owns a retired German Shepard that attacks on command." She said sounding bored now before quickly leaving.'


	6. Chapter 6

A knock came on the apartment door as the German Shepard raised its head to look at the door. "It's ok Titan." Trina said, already annoyed as she stood up to answer the door. A still bruised Holly was on the other end with a suitcase as she smiled awkwardly. "You'll be staying in the second door to the left down the hall." She said as she scampered back to the living room to sit on the couch with Titan still lying on the ground next to the couch. He was well trained and a very polite and respectful dog.

"Thank you, dear." Holly said after coming in and shutting the door. She disappeared down the hall to find the bedroom but stopped short to admire the photos hung all down the highway. There were so many happy photos of Jade, Tori, and Trina all together and it felt like she had been punched in the stomach as she found it harder to breathe. All of these memories she had missed out on because of David. It hurt to see these photos of smiling faces of daughters that had essentially become strangers and had moved on without her.

There were so many photos nicely framed all along the hallway and she found she couldn't move. Her eyes scanned all the photos of phantom faces at lively places. She stopped to stare at the larger photo that was center between the rest of the photos. It was Tori and Jade in beautiful dresses, cutting a beautiful black wedding cake. They looked so happy together. Holly gasped, struggling for air after holding her breathe for so long while admiring the photos. She'd missed out on so much. Her daughters have grown up and learned to live without needing her around. Her heart ached as she turned around to look at the other wall.

All the photos were mixed together from the past several years. Trina was in many photos with Tori and Jade's friends and it looked like they actually liked her now. She'd changed so much, becoming the mature young woman sitting in her apartment with a respectable career. There was photo of her kissing a nice young man. She had finally found someone as well. Holly's sorrow seemed to be making her choke as she stood in the hallway, sinking, like she was drowning in all these memories that she wasn't there for.

"We moved on without you." Holly jumped backwards, startled by Trina who was standing at the end of the hallway and leaning against the wall casually. She had a thoughtful expression as she gazed at some of the photos while sighing.

Holly spoke, still shaking from the start Trina had given her. "I can see that. I've missed out on so much." She said sadly, placing her hand on one of the photos of Trina, Jade, and Tori all sitting at a restaurant table in the outfits they'd had in the wedding photo as they all made goofy faces. She gave a sad chuckled before dropping her hand back down. Trina just stood there watching the woman, resenting her for her absence.

"That was your decision, Holly. Not ours." She finally said coldly as she walked up and took the suitcase to place in the door of the guest room. She walked away again, disappearing around the corner and back into the living room where Titan perked back up in worry as she knelt down to pet him. He made a sad moan, whimpering as he placed his head on her lap while looking up at her sadly. "I know, boy. I don't like this either." She whispered while hugging him, resting her head against his.

Trina seemed to be doing well by herself. She had a modern three bedroom loft with high ceilings, an open layout, and an open layout upstairs. She had made the area upstairs her bedroom and the used the bedrooms as an ordinary guest room, an office, and a training room. Titan had his own space upstairs with Trina. She'd quickly learned that his loyalty was unbreakable and he wouldn't sleep away from her side. He'd taken him for her boyfriend when the dog retired because he didn't have space for another retiree. She was dating another officer who worked in a different section then hers and he liked to take in the retirees. She'd only agreed because Titan was actually his dog from when he first joined and she loved the dog just as much as he did.

Holly came back out of the guest room as the dog stood up, feeling very protective over his owner. Trina just hushed him to calm down as he sat back down still carefully watching the woman. Holly waved before sitting down on another couch away from them both. Trina didn't even turn her head to acknowledge her presence when she received a phone call. She answered it quickly before getting up in a rush. "I need to go. An emergency came up at work. Titan, be good." She patted the dog on the head before grabbing her keys and running out leaving Holly awkwardly sitting alone in a stranger's apartment with a dog that wouldn't take his eyes off her.

"Hello, Titan." She said, feeling awkward for talking to him now. She stood up to look through Trina's movies so she would at least have something to do. She found a few blank DVD cases labeled with various events from the past year. She pulled out one labeled 'Sister's Wedding' before popping it into the DVD player. The video began as Titan adjusted himself to watch and Holly sat back on the couch, leaning forward in anticipation.

_"Tori, come on!" Trina voice yelled from behind the camera as she whined about Tori trying to hide from it. Tori's face lit up with a bright smile as she kept laughing, shielding her face behind her hands._

_"Trina!" She laughed as Trina pushed the camera into hands, throwing them into a fit of giggles as Tori tried to scold her but couldn't stop laughing. "Trina! Please, I'm supposed to be out in a few minutes. Help me!" She whined as she placed her white veil on and stood up. "Do I look ok?" She said while spinning a circle, the white dress flowing beautifully as she spun, her make up done exceptionally well. She was glowing from the happiness._

_"Yes baby sis. You look amazing!" Trina said before putting down the camera and fixing a stray strand in her sister's hair. "Alright. Are you ready? Are you ready to marry your one true dark soul mate?" Trina teased as she came back around to pick up the camera and disappeared behind it. She was wearing a beautiful white and black dress. The camera panned away from Tori as Trina walked out of the room and into the backyard of the house. It was a beautiful old run down home; fitting to Jade's tastes._

_"I did such an amazing job." Trina said out loud to the camera as she walked around to show the décor. The wedding was dark but beautiful, everyone wearing either black or a mix of black of white and dressed in beautiful old outfits. The roses at the front around the black and violet as Robbie stood front and center talking casually to Jade. She wore a beautiful gothic Victorian dress in black, the opposite of Tori's dress._

_"Trina!" A perky voice from off camera shouted as it quickly panned over to the perky red head holding a basket of black and red petals. "I get to throw the flowers. Poor flowers, Tori's going to step on them!" She whined as Trina laughed and walked away to the front with Jade._

_"So Jade. Are you ready?" Trina asked while poking her finger into Jade's arm as Jade jokingly growled._

_"Is that a rhetorical question, Trina?" Jade asked as Robbie waved to the camera. Jade playfully shoved him aside as he sulked. "Of course I'm ready." She whispered to Robbie before shooing Trina away. She sat down in the front row as Robbie cleared his throat._

_"Ladies and gentlemen, if you please take your seats." He announced as everyone immediately grew silent and sat back down. The woman at the harp began playing Symphony No. 9 in D Minor as Jade turned to watch for Tori. Trina moved the camera to the back as Cat began skipping down the aisle throwing the petals while giggling and disappearing behind the camera. The doors to the back yard opened, revealing Tori and Jade's father arm in arm. Tori blushed at the attention as the small crowd stood up while Mr. West escorted her down the aisle. Trina skipped Tori's walked up as she turned her camera to Jade who was only seeing Tori at that morning with a wonderful smile radiating from her._

_Trina's camera followed back to Tori as the man whispered a few words in to her ear, gave her a quick hug, and sat down in his seat in the front. There were two reserved seats beside him and Trina zoomed on Tori looking at those seats with a longing before she looked back at Jade and smiled. Robbie turned to the women who were holding each other's hand and looking back at him. He turned to Tori voice, smiling as he spoke. "Do you, Tori Vega, take Jade West to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

_She turned to Jade and spoke softly while unable to resist smiling brightly. "I, Victoria West, take thee, Jadelyn Vega, to be my lawful wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth." She bit her lip, resisting the urge to laugh inappropriately as Robbie nodded and turned to Jade._

_"And do you, Jade West, take Tori Vega to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

_Jade nodded without taking her eyes off of Tori. ""I, Jadelyn Vega, take thee, Victoria West, to be my lawful wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth." They couldn't stop smiling at each other as a German Shepard came up and sat down between them facing Robbie. _

_He held his paw up to let Robbie know he was ready. Robbie knelt down, taking the box from the dog's mouth as it bowed and walked away. He handed the ring to Jade who took it and held Tori's hand up as she spoke only to her. "With this Ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." She slid the ring onto Tori's finger as she pulled the blushing bride for a kiss. Jade then swept Tori off her feet and proceeded down the aisle as Trina stood up to quickly follow with the camera._

_Jade went back inside the house and placed Tori onto the couch, kissing her with deep long yearning kiss as Trina cleared her throat. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you sis and sister-in-law!" She shouted as the two stood up holding hands. Trina ran back outside to catch the scene of everyone getting up. Tori's bridesmaids were huddled in a circle together wearing black and white. Among them was Cat, the flower girl, as they laughed together. The group consisted of Cat, Sam, and Carly since they'd remained friends. On the opposite side, Robbie joined the groomsmen wearing black tailcoats. That group consisted of Andre, Spencer, Sikowitz, and an unknown young man in an officer uniform. The camera flashed a warning that the battery was about to die. Trina cursed, turning the camera to her face before it shut off to static and snow._

Holly sat on the couch, crying as she wiped her tears away with her sleep. She couldn't help but laugh while looking down to Titan. "You were their ring bearer." She said through tears, feeling completely devastated that she'd missed such a beautiful event. The dog uttered a small cry before walking away and climbing the stairs to Trina's room slowly. He sat down at the top as if guarding it before he laid down and shut his eyes. Holly got up, returning the DVD to the case and placing it back into its spot on the shelf. She sat back on the couch to watch TV but never really watching it as her mind kept drifting away.


	7. Chapter 7

_**So sorry it took so long! D:**_

* * *

It was hours into the night when Trina finally returned home after taking care of her business. She'd changed from her uniform and into a pair of pajamas in the locker room at work. Her standard issue gun clattered against the counter with her badge as she set them down to get herself a glass of water. She popped a sleeping pill in to her mouth as she greedily chugged down the water. Titan came from downstairs, wagging his tail eagerly at her return as she fed him a biscuit and placed the glass in the sink. There were no signs of Holly being up anymore even though all the lights in the house had been left on.

With a groan of annoyance she walked around hitting every switch and lamp to shut them off before returning upstairs with her gun and badge to place in the nightstand. Titan came up as well, circling his spot beside the bed so he could lie down and sleep. He guarded the contents of the nightstand to make sure no one but Trina ever got in it. Trina stretched before throwing herself in the bed, wrapping the sheets around her, and falling asleep. The sounds of her slow deep breathes let Titan know that she was finally asleep so he could join her on the bed. He wasn't allowed on the furniture but his owner never protested when she woke up snuggling him.

A shrill scream in the night awoke Trina with a start as she bolted downstairs, Titan racing ahead and pawing at Holly's door. Trina quickly barged in, shaking the woman awake as she thrashed about violently in her sleep. The woman didn't wake up and after a couple of tries, Trina was ready to just give up and walk away but Titan's barking had wakened her from her nightmare. Holly abruptly sat up, sobbing as she raised her hands before her face as if she were being attacked. Trina glanced at her for a moment, recognizing the signs of an abuse victim's reaction but figured it was nothing more than a nightmare about the recent attack.

She disappeared down the hall after commanding Titan to remain at the door just in case the woman would suddenly begin acting distraught again. When Trina returned, she had a glass of water in one hand and a sleeping pill in the other. She sat down beside Holly in the bed as she handed them over without saying anything. Holly wiped her tears away as they dried streaked stained her face. She gulped it down as Trina silently took the glass and stared into it as she twirled it in her hands.

"Can I talk to you?" Holly whimpered out while playing with the edge of the blanket she was under.

"Whatever." Trina said bluntly, still spinning the glass slowly in her hands.

"It's rather difficult to talk about. These nightmares I've been having-" She began slowly, searching for the words to say.

"Stop. I don't want to hear it." She said quickly, finally looking up from the glass to give her a cold, heartless glare.

"Trina, please. It's about D-"

"No, Holly. I don't want to hear it. You didn't want to hear what Tori was going through - your own daughter; my baby sister. So why should I sit here and listen to you?" She spat out quickly as Holly looked mortified. She cleared her throat before speaking as she continued to stare at the glass. "Tori is coming over tomorrow." She paused briefly. "I know what you're thinking and no, you can't see her."

"Why?" Holly said feeling rejected as she choked back another sob.

Trina pulled a folded document out from her shirt while placing the glass on the nightstand. Holly took it, placing her hand over her mouth as she gasped and read it out loud. "You must stay at least twenty yards away from: the person in (1) [Victoria West], home of person in (1), the job or workplace of person in (1)." She scanned through the paper, her face contorting to reflect the heartbreak this was causing her as she read one of the last paragraphs out loud, mortified. "If you do not obey this order, you can be arrested and charged with a crime."

"Correct. If you do not obey this order, you can go to jail or prison and/or pay a fine." Trina stated calmly before taking the document back and placing it back in her shirt. "So I expect you to remain in this room upon her arrival. I don't want her to see you. I don't care what you do but you cannot leave this room. If you make any attempts at speaking with _my_ baby sister, I'll arrest you on the spot myself. Understood?" She asked after picking up the glass and standing up as Holly nodded weakly. Trina nodded as if it was final and the conversation was done with.

"But Trina, she's my daughter!" Holly cried out, her chest aching.

"You gave that up." Trina said sadly as she stood at the doorway. She shut off the light as she left, shutting the door and leaving Holly to panic in the dark.

* * *

The day was clear and bright, the headlights of Jade's hearse shined through the front window as she pulled up with Tori. Trina quickly stood up, shooing her mother to her bedroom before pushing a few pennies in to the door to jam the door shut. Despite the restraining order, she didn't quiet trust Holly yet. Holly slumped in to the bed, hearing the pennies being shoved in to the door made her feel like she had become a prisoner in her own daughter's home. She slid off the bed pitifully before hitting the ground and falling to lay hopelessly on the ground and stare into the distance clouded with memories; the victim becoming a prisoner.

"Hi baby sis!" Trina yelled as she hugged Tori tightly, her belly already showing after only about seven to eight weeks.

"Hey Treen!" She exclaimed, squeezing back as Jade stood back and rolled her eyes while kneeling down to pet Titan. "So what's the big news you had to have to us over for?" She asked before waddling over to the couch and sitting down as Jade followed. Trina shut the door as she came to the couch with Titan and leaned forward excitedly.

"I'm getting married!" She said with such exhilaration and passion. She had a dreamy look in her eyes as she looked away, Tori squealing enthusiastically as Trina showed her the beautiful diamond her fiancé and had bought her.

"Oh my gosh, Trina! I'm so happy for you and Alex!" She said with enthusiasm as she hugged her sister again.

"I'm glad to see you finally found a keeper." Jade laughed before hugging Trina as well.

"Thanks you guys!" Trina gushed as she looked to be on the verge of tears from the overwhelming joy. "Tori, I would like you be my bridesmaid." She asked while flashing puppy dog eyes.

"Of course!" Tori shouted, clapping excitedly while tugging at Jade's arm.

"Jade, Alex wanted me to ask if you be the 'best man' for him." Trina flashed her puppy dog to Jade now as she asked for him.

"Yes, I'll be his 'best man'." She said while trying to hide her smile and shaking her head.

"Thank you!" She pulled them both in for a hug, nearly choking them as they gasped for air after being released. "I wanted to break the news to my family first." She smiled fondly at the two women sitting before her as a tear streaked down her cheek and she laughed as she wiped it away, fanning her face with her hand as if it would stop the tears.

"We're honored Trina." Tori smiled proudly, squeezing Jade's hand as she remembered how happy she was when Jade had proposed and now her sister would share in the same sense of being truly whole and complete with the one you love.

After a few more hours of bonding and enjoying their time together over bottles of wine and tea for Tori, the two girls finally stood up to leave as they hugged and left. Holly sat up quickly, rushing to the window to catch a glimpse of her daughter as she bit her lip to fight the urge to scream, knowing Tori didn't even know she was there. Her heart ached, like a thousand tiny hooks had pierced through it and they were all being pulled in different directions and she couldn't breathe. The hearse pulled out the driveway as the two women waved to Trina and drove away. Holly squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the sorrow drowning her as she collapsed back on the ground feeling the weight of her depression sweeping her under as if she'd been hit by an ocean wave. She heard the pennies being removed but couldn't find the motivation to even move. She remained on the ground all night feeling lost.

* * *

Holly awoke stiff and sore the next morning as she attempted to stretch it out before leaving. Some fresh air might do her some good and she found herself taking a walk to a nearby Jet Brew. She walked in, stepping her way to the front counter as she looked up at the sign reading Fuel for drinks. She ordered a cup of hot French vanilla coffee before sitting down by a window to watch as the clouds rolled in.

"Forty percent chance of rain." An officer observed as he walked in with a group of other officers. His name tag read Waters.

"Thanks, weatherman." Another officer said sarcastically, his name tag reading Markos.

"Hey, what was that news you wanted to tell us yesterday?" A female officer asked as she ordered her coffee.

"Yeah. You wanted to tell us something before you got pulled away for an assignment." Waters remarked as he ordered his next.

"Come on guys. Can you not?" Markos laughed, ordering his last. They all received their cups and took a table close to Holly's seat so they could sit in what remained of the sun. He looked familiar to her but she was too far gone to place where she recognized the man from.

"Ok, Markos. We're all sitting now. What was it?" The female urged on, her shiny name tag reading Bullock.

"Ok, ok." Markos smiled as he placed his cup down. "I proposed to Vega." He smiled sheepishly as they both gave him a congratulatory punch in the arm.

It hit her. She recognized this bright young man from the photos and wedding tape. He was Trina's boyfriend, fiancé, and soon to be husband. She looked away, her eyes watering as bit down on her tongue until a metallic taste made her stop. She'd bitten so hard that she bit in to her tongue.

"You dog. Finally ready to accept the ball and chain, huh?" Waters teased as he sipped his coffee.

"Come on, Waters. Vega is a nice girl." Bullock scowled before beaming brightly, proud of her friend's accomplishment. "Really man, I'm proud of you. Congratulations." She said as she leaned forward before suddenly getting distracted by the sob of the woman near them.

Markos leaned over, calling out to Holly. "Excuse me, ma'am. Are you alright?" He asked as she waved her hand through the air and nodded.

"I'll be okay." She choked out as she grabbed her coffee and stood up.

"Ma'am, we can give you a ride." He offered, standing quickly as she shook her head to respectfully decline the ride. She felt like a hurricane had just ripped through her, tearing her apart and leaving nothing as she realized that she wouldn't even be invited to this wedding. She'll have missed both her daughters' weddings and that was just too much to bear. She ran out quickly, leaving the officers confused but they didn't chase after her. They had a responsibility to protect and serve the citizens, but they were only obliged when they asked for it or needed it. Markos sat back down, sighing loudly as he tried to think why that strange, sad woman looked familiar.

It quickly began pouring as Holly sprinted back to Trina's house. It only took a few seconds for her to quickly become soaking wet and freezing cold as she finally made it to Trina's front door. She searched her pockets frantically as the tears mixed with the rain. She couldn't find the spare set of keys she had been given. Her knocking echoed throughout the empty home as Titan came up, barking at the door. Trina was gone and Holly was locked out. The dog was still inside, warm and cozy in his own home as she was locked out in the rain. She felt desperate as she climbed the fence into the backyard and tried the backdoor. That too was locked.

She pulled out her phone, huddling beneath the awning so she wouldn't get the phone too wet. The phone gave a dial tone, unable to connect to Trina and she cursed. She couldn't call Tori or Jade. She looked down, noticing a doggie door. She pushed against it but it was locked from the inside, covered a slat so the dog wouldn't get out in to the rain and track it through the house. Titan's little doghouse the only form of shelter. She crumbled, her knees hitting the ground and splashing in the puddle as she was forced to get on all fours. She climbed in the cramped space, protected from the rain and harsh winds as the doggie door shut. She began crying uncontrollably, falling in to despair at having lost everything she'd ever held dear to her.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Sorry it's taking me so long with the updates! Just been busy lately. But here is the latest update! Enjoy and review please! I love reading the reviews to see what people think so I can get an idea of where to go next. Anyway, who else is heart broken over the end of Victorious!? At least it ended with Jori. 3**_

* * *

"Seriously Jade, I'll be okay!" Tori whined as she sat on the edge of their bed next to a suitcase as Jade packed.

"I would just feel better if Trina were here. I wouldn't want anyone to break in and hurt you. Only I'm allowed to do that." Jade grinned, winking as she finished packing and zipped the suitcase shut. "It's only three days, West." She said as she picked up the suitcase and started walking out in a hurry as Tori quickly followed behind. She turned around, kissing Tori before opening the door to find Trina with her fist in the air, about to knock. She smirked as Trina waved. "Right on time. Now look, I have to go. I'll be back before you know it. I love you." Jade said quickly as she hugged Tori, kissed her on the cheek, and took her suitcase to meet the taxi driver waiting outside for her.

"Hey baby sis." Trina greeted as she let herself in, dropping the suitcase by the door as she ran to the kitchen for a bottle of water.

"Yes. I will just carry this for you." Tori said, displeased as she picked up the suitcase and nearly dropped it again because of its weight. "Geezus, Treen. Did you just pack bricks?" She asked as she just left it there, twisting her shoulder around after the effort it took to just try and lift it.

"Of course not." Trina sounded offended as she took it and dropped it off in the guest room before coming back out. She yawned and sprawled out on the couch, making herself at home as she turned on the TV.

Jade had called her to babysit Tori for the weekend. She knew Tori would be okay, but for her own peace of mind, she wanted someone there capable who could watch her. Jade had to leave on a short notice business trip for her script and the shortest time she could convince them of staying there was a minimum of three days. So she agreed, fully determined to be back within three days no matter what they said.

"Thanks for agreeing to come over." Tori sighed as she sat down, tapping her fingers against her tiny belly as Trina laughed at some reality TV show.

"No problem. What do you want for dinner?" She asked as she shifted to lay on her side with one leg thrown up on the back of the couch and the other one resting on the coffee table.

"You can just order pizza." The younger sister replied as she knocked Trina's foot off the coffee table. "Hawaiian." She stated as she pulled out her phone to text a few people. She replied to Cat's text message from earlier about coming over later and then wrote Jade, quickly just saying that she missed her already.

Trina was already on the phone with Italione's Pizzeria, talking loudly as she ordered two pizzas. She hung up. "Thirty minutes or our pizza is free."

"Ok. Cat should be here soon too." Tori said as she took the remote and changed the channel to watch All That on SBI Network.

The doorbell rang as the show came to an end. Trina jogged to the door, opening it to find a confused Cat holding two pizzas. "A pizza man handed me this and made me pay him before he sped off!" She said, pouting as she shoved the boxes towards Trina and walked in. Trina brought it to the living room as they all opened the boxes and began eating.

"Thanks Cat." Trina said as she chewed her food and handed her the money she owed for the pizzas.

"Mmm. This is so good." Tori moaned in bliss as she ate the pizza and leaned back.

"Oh my God!" Trina exclaimed as she sat up, startling Cat and Tori. "I forgot to leave food for Titan!" She yelled as she threw her crust back in the box and left abruptly without any more explanation. She quickly ran to her car to avoid the rain and sped away.

She pulled in to her drive way, throwing her car in park before she ran to the front door and let herself in. "Titan!" She said with a panicked tone to her voice, kneeling over and hugging him before quickly going out to the backyard shed to grab his food and bring it inside. She poured the bag out making sure that he had enough for the next three days. She was calmer when she finished. With a sigh, she folded the bag shut and ran back outside to put the bag back and lock up the shed.

She walked by the dog house, noticing a cloth sticking out from beneath the flap as she crouched down in the rain to open it cautiously. She rolled her eyes before returning inside, safe from the rain. Her pen clicked as she pulled out a piece of paper from the drawer to write a quick note before searching around the house for the spare keys she had given to Holly that were obviously left behind. She folded them up in the note before running back outside and taping to the inside of the flap before locking the house and leaving again without bothering to wake up Holly.

She returned to Tori's house to find Tori and Cat sitting at the edge of their seats and waving their arms around wildly as they brawled it out in a Wii game. "That's my smash ball!" Tori yelled as she jumped on Cat to distract her so she could get the shiny orb on the screen.

Trina came over, sitting down as the game ended with Tori being victorious as she stood up and danced. Cat pouted as everyone laughed. "I want another try!" Cat yelled as Trina picked up the other set of remotes to play as well.

"You're on!" Tori said competitively as she sat back down, picking the woman in a space suit again. Cat picked a pink little ball and Trina picked the princess. Had Jade been there, she would've chosen the angel. They played on all night, slowly working on eating what remained of the pizza as they kept playing games.

* * *

The night was dark with clear skies as the light flickered on a sign for a dingy looking hotel. With a groan, Jade walked in to the front lobby and dinged for the receptionist. This wasn't like the nice hotels she was used to staying in for her job but she figured that maybe it just wasn't in the budget at the moment. A cranky elderly man with a large mole on his face came out from the backroom mumbling to himself as he leaned over the desk to look at her. "Yes?" He asked, obviously annoyed and hating his job.

"Jade Vega." The Goth retorted, sounding just as displeased as him.

"Sooo?" He asked as he scratched his nose and leaned against his elbows on the desk.

"So? I have a reservation here?" She said impatiently as he rolled his neck around and made strange faces.

"We don't do reservations." He stated as he twitched and groaned, making Jade feel awkward and annoyed.

"What do you mean you don't do reservations?" She asked, her blood boiling as her fingers played with the scissors tucked in to her pants, just ever so lightly running her fingers over them as the man mumbled something incoherent. "I was told that I had to stay here." She said through grit teeth as he twisted in strange ways before leaving. She growled, now standing alone in the lobby of a cheap hotel. "Hey!" She shouted as she slammed down on the bell as hard as she could, smashing it to pieces. "I wasn't done!" She hissed as he came back out.

"What?" He shouted back.

"I need a room, you wazz bag!" She shouted as he grabbed a set of keys and threw them on the counter.

"Here!" He shrieked as he took the card she handed him and swiped it, twitching as he handed it back with a creepy smile. "My name is Mr. Lewbert!" He shouted at her as he handed her the receipted and pointed at his name tag. "If you need anything, I'll be here all night! Don't need anything!" He shouted as he twisted his arms around in the air and disappeared again.

Jade angrily swiped the keys off the desk and walked outside. She could deal with this mess in the morning and yell at her agent tomorrow. For now, she just wanted to sleep. She called Tori to check in, knowing that her wife should be going to bed soon. "Hi babe." She said as she fumbled with the keys to unlock the door to her room.

"No it's mine!" Cat shouted from the background as a crashing noise caused Jade to groan as she shut the door behind her and threw the suitcase on the old chair covered in a stained floral fabric.

"Hi baby." Tori said cheerily though distracted. "How was the flight?" She asked as she was still playing her game.

"Some stupid baby cried the entire flight and the parents did nothing about it. The lady with the Chihuahua under her seat the entire time had a better trained dog then the stupid baby." She complained as she began taking off her shoes to throw them across the room.

"Babe, you can't train a baby." Tori laughed even though Jade was serious.

"Yes you can." Jade quickly snapped back before sighing and running her hand through her raven hair. "How is your night? Aren't you supposed to be going to bed soon?" She asked as she laid back on the bed to stare at the ceiling.

"I would be in bed but it's a tie game and I must win!" Tori said angrily as she smashed the buttons to beat down the little pink orb that kept sucking her character up.

Jade exhaled slowly, yawning as she pulled off most of her clothes to sleep. She was about several hours away from Tori now but she wanted desperately to return home to be in bed with her lover. "There was a change in plans, so I'll be ba-"

"Cat! No!" Tori yelled over Jade's conversation as there was a scream in the background. "I'm sorry Jade! I have to go!" Tori said quickly before hanging up. Jade's phone bounced across the bed before flopping and hitting the ground after she tossed it. Now she was alone in a dingy hotel room with no TV. These were the sleazy hotels that people got stuck in and died in most of the horror movies she watched. She shut her eyes, trying to imagine herself at home with Tori nuzzled into her side. She shut off the lamp and went to bed.

The next morning she threw her clothes back on and dropped the keys off at the desk as another young man stood in place of Mr. Lewbert. "I'm Steve!" The man shouted while standing hunched over. It seemed like this hotel had decided to hire people straight out of the looney bin because he seemed just as _crazy_ as that Mr. Lewbert.

"Don't care." She said while glaring at him as he stood ominously staring at her while sipping on a straw he had placed in a soda can. He waved slowly as she left, sneering at him before exiting out the door. She returned back outside to call a cab as she sat down on a nearby bench, sliding her suitcase beneath it. She pulled out phone as a cloth was quickly held over mouth. A small gasp caught in her throat before she was rendered unconscious.


	9. Chapter 9

Not even a day passed when Tori's nerves began getting the best of her. This was unusual. No matter how busy her wife had ever gotten, she always found the time to call or send a message to let Tori know she was okay. She always said goodnight or good morning. Tori began worrying when she woke up to check her phone to find no missed calls and nothing in her inbox. Jade was always good at keeping track of time where ever she was and always left a message for Tori to wake up to.

Tori paced the floor, her heart beating nervously as she tried to call Jade to reassure herself that everything was in fact okay. It had only been one night after all. She chewed at her nails, biting anxiously as it kept ringing. It went unanswered. She slowly walked downstairs with her hands trailing against the wall as if to hold herself up because she suddenly felt out of place. It would be jumping to conclusions to think that something had gone wrong on Jade's end but now her mind began thinking the worst possible scenarios.

She felt dizzy, like the world around her was going to slowly fade away and the ground beneath her feet would disappear – letting her fall in to an empty void where there was no Jade - where nothing existed except her thoughts and worries. Jade had to be okay though but something was pulling at the back of her mind, tugging at heart, telling her that her safe little world had been tipped off the axis that held it so carefully in place and balanced. Her feet led her to the couch where she seemed to just down on to it to lay down. She felt suddenly empty as her mind projected scenes on her eyelids of what could have happened to Jade.

It wasn't until Trina came out in to the living room that she slammed back to earth with a jolt. "Hey, you okay?" Trina asked as she got two bottles of water from the fridge since it looked like Tori could use one too. "You don't look too hot." She remarked as she down beside her sister and handed her the bottle. Tori seemed to just go through the motions as she opened it and began slowly drinking before placing it on the coffee table and shaking her head lethargically.

"It's nothing." She said apathetically as she wrung her hands together in her lap. "At least," she sighed. "I don't know. It's just unusual. I'm sure it's nothing." She placed her hand on her forehead before sliding it back through her long messy hair as she searched across the ground for a hidden answer to reveal itself so she could feel okay and know Jade was okay.

"Well, maybe it would help if you tried to talk through it. Come on, lay it on me." Trina said as she adjusted herself to better face her baby sister so she could help and concentrate on her.

"I think." Tori paused to check her phone again, just in case Jade finally answered, but the screen was still empty. "I think something might have happened to Jade. I mean, it's too soon to really jump to conclusions. She said she will be back when the weekend is over and I still believe that she will. She might have just forgotten to check her phone or maybe it died or maybe she lost it. But that's just not like her, not my Jade. She always remembers. She knows how I worry. Even when she's just trying to tease and have her fun, she never waits this long." The girl pursed her lips before placing her hand gently before her mouth as her eyebrows knit together in worry.

"Maybe we can call her agent? Check to see how she is that way?" The older woman suggested as she pulled out her own phone to make the call as Tori grew distraught just thinking about it. Tori looked up to her expectantly, hoping that everything would indeed be alright and that she was worrying over nothing. Trina held up a finger, silently signaling for her sister to just wait a moment as the phone rang.

"Hello. Hollywood Creative Directory. Graham speaking." The man on the other end answered.

"Hi Graham. This is Trina Vega. I'm looking for Jade Vega. Do you know where I can reach her?" Trina asked as she stood up to find a pen and sticky note.

"Hello Trina. She's not scheduled for any trips for at least another month or so. She isn't at home with you and Tori?" He asked; the sounds of clicking in the background as he pulled up Jade's appointments on a calendar.

"She just went on a trip." She motioned for Tori to sit tight before walking away to have this conversation in private to not worry her sister. "You didn't call her about a trip?" She whispered after making it in to another room and shutting the door.

"I'm sorry. No, I have no idea about any trip scheduled for right now." He said, sounding confused as he typed away at his computer. "She's due to go to New York in about five weeks." He said to try and be helpful.

"Okay. Thanks Graham." Trina replied, ready to hang up when he quickly spoke up.

"Did something happen to her?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Trina said before hanging up and placing the phone back in to her pocket.

* * *

There was a musky scent lofting about through the air. The sound of a faucet dripping echoed out through the darkness as a ringing in the young woman's ear caused her to shift uncomfortably to rub her ear against her shoulder. She could feel something heavy and cold squeezing around her wrist, rubbing against her skin as she tried to move. Her ankles had been bound together as well as she tried to stand, a short chain keeping to her to ground as it resisted against her and pulled her back down. She grunted as the metal on her wrist began digging in to her skin.

She could feel the cold heavy metal of the hand cuffs around her wrists as she grabbed the chain to follow it blindly with her fingers. Her head hit the wall suddenly as she found the other end that hand been wielded to the wall. With a quick tug, she knew she wasn't going to be able to escape very easily. She squinted through the darkness to try and get a feel for her surroundings and where she was. It was completely dark except for the light from beneath the door at the top of the stairs. She was locked in a basement.

"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them. For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through **Jesus Christ** our Lord. Every one [that is] proud in heart [is] an abomination to the LORD: [though] hand [join] in hand, he shall not be unpunished. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness [is] an abomination to my lips." A deep voice came from the tall silhouette of a man who opened the door, the light bright and blinding as the young woman turned away now in fear.

He came down the steps, shutting the door behind him as he lit a candle to dimly illuminate the room. He set down the book he was reading from before kneeling down in front the woman who refused to look back up at him. He looked on in admiration, feeling like he would be doing the will of God now. His hand slowly rose to the woman's chin as he had her turn to face him to gaze on to the face of the man who would bring justice down upon her as the rage burned in his eyes like the fiery pits of hell. The tears of the young woman had dried across her face, leaving streaks as he carefully wiped them away with his thumb.

"Why are you doing this?" She growled in anger and fear as the tears trailed down her cheeks. She didn't get a good look at him, her vision blurry from the tears.

"Because you are an abomination and you have tainted the purity of another young soul, turning her in to an abomination just like you." He said rather calmly as he stood up to kindle the fire in the old brick oven. He placed a brander in to the embers to let it heat up.

"What?" She bit back angrily.

"You've taken my daughter from me and turned in to an abhorable human being!" He yelled, throwing a small coal in her direction as it grazed the side of her face and she hissed in pain.

"David." She growled under her breath, her teeth clenched together as her jaw tensed from anger and pain. "I didn't _turn _Tori in to a homosexual." David quickly flew to the ground in front of her to kneel down. He had a crazed look in his eye.

"She was normal before you got to her. She dated boys before you." He said as he gently ran his finger over the scratch on her cheek causing her to wince back. "She was a good girl." He whispered before abruptly standing back up. He seemed to be unpredictable and thanks to the adrenaline, the pain didn't seem too bad. But she liked pain and could feel her wrists beginning to bleed as she struggled against the cuffs.

"You're insane." The woman spit on the floor as another coal smacked her on the chest.

"It's immoral and wrong!" He corrected her, yelling as the vein in his neck popped out and was throbbing erratically. "Jade, you think you're so right. You stole her from us. We could've corrected her behavior if you hadn't held her under your sorcery. How did you do it? How did you turn my daughter away from me to make her go running in to your arms?!"

Jade remained silent now, no longer wishing to play his games or follow his rules. She had to find a way out to get back to Tori. She had to know Tori was safe and that no one had gotten to her either. She knew Tori would be worried about her too. "What'd you do with her?" She asked, trying not to sound too worried so it wouldn't be pointed out as her biggest, most obvious weakness.

"Tori? I haven't done anything. Yet. But you will." He brought over a pen and paper and held it in front of her. "You're going to write her a letter. A letter stating that you no longer wish to see her. A letter saying you have seen your flaws and no longer want to be with another _woman._" He placed the paper on the ground with the pen on top as he unlocked her hands and quickly backed away to avoid any attacks.

"And why should I?" She glared up at him, hating him with every fiber of her being for trying to tear them apart again. She wasn't going to let him hurt Tori again, she promised to protect her. She threw the pen across the room as it hit the wall and rolled away. David slammed his hand against the table as Jade flinched.

"I was hoping to do this the easy way." He said solemnly as he took the now red hot brand from the oven and waved it through the air in front of Jade. "Everyone will know. Everyone will know you're a sick freak who loves women."

Jade quickly scooted back across the floor and away from the man only hit the wall, no longer able to get any further away. She could feel beads of sweat drip down her face from the anxiety as her heart beat sky rocketed, getting more fearful as he got closer and she could feel the heat radiating off the metal. "Okay!" She shouted, shutting her eyes to try and prepare for the worst but he quickly moved back and away as he smiled fiendishly, enjoying the power he had over her now. "Okay." She repeated, sounding like she'd been defeated but refusing to completely give up. "Give me the pen you sick fuck." She sighed, holding her hand up and waving it as she waited for the pen to be placed in her hand. She leaned over the paper, thinking carefully about what she was going to say since this might very well be the last thing Tori would get from her if Tori couldn't pull through in time.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Awww yeah. Who else wants David to die? Without further ado, here is chapter 10!_**

* * *

The sound of thunder awoke Holly with a start as she whacked her head back against the roof of the dog house. There was a flash of light from the small little window that had been built in to Titan's dog house. The dog had a luxury house but despite its extremities, it was still no place for a human to stay. Outside, one could hardly see five feet in front of them from how hard it was raining. The woman looked around her humble little shelter before feeling the puddle forming beneath her. Seems like this dog house had a leak in it.

Her hand crept along her back and through her shirt to rub out the stiffness as she tried to roll her shoulders. Her fingers traced along old scars as she sighed heavily. At least here, in this dog house, she was safe. She no longer had to suffer beneath the hands of a self-righteous hypocrite who tried to control every part of her. It had gotten so bad. His arrogance would be his downfall and now that she had escaped, she had a terrible nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her that he would soon go after their daughter again.

She shifted, trying to get more comfortable in the small confined space when she noticed a piece of paper taped to the inner flap of the door. The tape ripped when she pulled it, opening it as her spare key dropped out in to the puddle. The note read 'Next time, don't forget this –T' in Trina's quick handwriting. She folded it back up and shoved it in her pocket as she grabbed the key from the puddle and ran inside, immediately stripping off the wet clothing. Shivering, she jogged down the hall to turn on the bath for herself and sat in it as it filled up with steam rising and filling the room as she did so. She let it fill to the top before shutting it off to sink back and relax in the warmth of the fresh bath as it burned against her skin.

The sound of rain beating heavily lulled her as she drifted away and in to her memories. He'd lost his mind and had been fired from the Chicago Police Department for his own mental health. They'd put him in therapy but it hadn't helped. He was an excellent liar, so much so that they released him from the program deeming him mentally fit and healthy. But he would come home late in the night in a drunken stupor and over power her. It started out simple. He would use his police issue hand cuffs and leave her locked in the basement until he awoke from his hangover apologizing as he uncuffed her. Those scars healed. Every time he would say it won't happen again but it continued and she had become so paralyzed by fear that she couldn't tell anyone.

She gasped for air after sinking beneath the water, clutching at her throat and breathing heavily as she looked around anxiously. He'd gone from handcuffing her to trying to purify her. He would cleanse her, baptizing her in the name of the Holy Spirit as he held her head in a bucket as she thrashed about. He said that she had given unto him an abomination and she was unholy. The baptism was to correct this so she couldn't spawn another abomination. She would cough up water, choking as he released her so she could sob on the ground.

He had moved from cuffs, to baptisms, to abuse, to whipping. The man's temper grew shorter and shorter, her mere presence lighting the fuse that set him off. He would get angry and throw her. Sometimes she would be thrown over furniture and he would just leave her alone afterwards. Other times he would grab her firmly by her neck and drag her to their bedroom where he pulled out his bible and a whip, claiming that would exorcise the demon within as he continued to beat her and bloody steaks formed across her back. He was a terrible man and she finally escaped out of fear for her own life.

Holly curled in to a fetal position as she rocked herself back and forth in the bathtub. She sobbed quietly, her throat constricting as she tried to hold it all back, hold back the wave of dread and years of sorrow from bursting through the gates but it was no use. She began sobbing loudly. Everyone she had once loved had turned their backs on her, but really, her back was turned to her daughters and David's back was turned to her. She was alone and she had become the rejected one, unwanted by anyone related to her. She inhaled, sucking in air as she realized that this was how she had made Tori feel. After all of these years, Tori had been holding it all in. She cried out, feeling the pain and vowing that she would never allow herself to fall victim again and never let David lay a hand on them.

* * *

The letter was dropped anonymously on the front porch of the Vega household as Trina stepped over it in a rush as it went unnoticed by her. "I'll be back soon Tor!" She called out as she scampered down the driveway and in to her car.

"Wait!" The younger sister called out after her but it was no use. She sighed, dropping her head as she noticed a small folded paper on the ground. She unfolded it, the familiar neatly written cursive causing a gasp to catch in her throat as a wave of relief washed through her body. Her coffee colored hues scanned over it quickly as the words began to weigh heavily on her.

_Dear. Alluring. Vega._

_I have something I need to tell you. Don't come searching for me. I will be long gone by the time this letter reaches you. Simply put, I cannot be with you anymore. Hopefully you will recover from this. Only time will tell. Love of mine, I must go because this is a sin and wrong. Darling, I cannot be with another woman. I must go find for myself a good man. Never had I intended to keep our relationship going as long as it has. Gone I will be as it is time for me to leave you._

_My sincerest apologies to you. Evermore shall this haunt me deeply. Countless nights I have spent awake contemplating how far we've gone. Afterwards I would weep silently to myself. Please tell Trina that I am sorry as well. Tori, I have loved you with all my heart but I cannot love you any longer. I've grown wary of taking care of you. Vega, I know you will be alright. Even without me there. For you are a strong young woman who can pull through. I wish only to see you, to tell you of how I have grown to loathe our relationship._

_Now don't fret. Do me a favor and smile. Many days are coming forth that shall be full of sunshine. Every passing day will find us growing further apart till the pain no longer hurts. Quietly, your memory of me shall fade till I am no longer. Unbinded from me, you shall be from here on out. I never meant for it to get this far. Carelessly I let the years pass as a charade. Kangaroos are lousy animals, funny how I remember that now. Lo, but I digress. You will one day come to understand. Only briefly will you be alone until you find someone new._

_Reality is, is that you shall be missed. If we should never cross paths again, know that I reveled in this sin. Forget me. Every passing moment as I write this, I fear that you will never know. At least I can try to convey my feelings, the truth. Really, try to understand. This is truly an abomination, what we had. How could we keep trying to fool ourselves? Each passing moment, I breathe more freely. Woe is me. Othello cannot understand my blight. Rambling, I am. Surely one day I shall be forgiven of my sins. Try to understand. I couldn't love you anymore._

_Love. Only. Vaguely. Eludes. You._

_Oh, I wonder if you will._

_Understand._

~Jadelyn West

Her eyes stung, her vision blurring as she began crying. Jade couldn't be leaving her. Not now. Not after becoming pregnant with her child. She walked back inside, carefully placing it on the counter as she stared blankly at it. It felt like someone had ripped her heart out and allowed it to be used as a dog's chew toy. It hurt. It felt like a thousand razor blades had gone and ripped through her lungs as she tried to keep her breathing steady. She read it over and over before taking a photo with her phone and sending it to Trina. She received a phone call immediately after. "What do you think it means?" Tori asked, choking back tears as she tried to blink them away. She bit her lower lip, chewing it as it quivered and she sank to to the ground.

"I don't know. I'm coming home right now though." Trina said quickly as she was focusing on weaving through cars to get home quicker. "It just seems strange, you know? Inconsistent. I'm coming in around the corner right now. Go outside and wait for me there." The phone shut off as she tossed it in to the passenger seat and quickly pulled in to the driveway then slammed on the breaks. Her mind was set in to investigating this like the police woman she was trained to be. Tori jumped back startled before jogging up and getting in. Trina was already pulling out of the driveway before Tori could even get her seatbelt all the way on.

"Trina slow down!" Tori shouted as she held on to the handle on the roof of the car as Trina eased up on the gas pedal. Tori was shaking.

"Sorry." She laughed skittishly as she waved her hand for the letter. She placed it over the wheel as she read it while driving. "It's unusual." She mumbled to herself before holding it up to see it in the light. There wasn't anything hidden that could be revealed by light. "Either way, I want to find her and get some answers." She said before placing it back down carefully. She truly did care for them both but the best way to come at this was from an objective point of view, where her personal relationship and emotions didn't cloud her view.

"Answers?" Tori asked, taking the note and folding it back up as she held it over her heart mournfully.

"Yes. If anything she should do this in person and not run away like a coward." Trina sighed, scratching her head as she pulled up to a stop light and grabbed the letter again as she stared intently at it, concentrating.

"Trina, it's green." Tori spoke after a few minutes, pointing out the window as Trina quickly sped off again. "I wish it wasn't true. There's no way." Tori shook her head in disbelief, her lips quivering as she held her hand in front of her mouth and shut her eyes to breathe calmly.

"We'll find her Tori. I don't believe Jade would do this." Trina said trying to be soothing to console her sister.

"But what if it is?! What if all of this was just a ruse? What if she hadn't truly ever changed at all and this was all some very elaborate plot to break me and destroy me? What if she still hates me? She even used 'West' in the letter." Her voice trailed off in to a whisper as she turned away, heartbroken. She'd given Jade her everything and just couldn't believe the woman would turn around and stab her in the back, leaving her alone with a child on the way.

"She wouldn't do that, Tori. She really does love you." Trina tried to say as she kept one hand on the wheel and the one on her sister's thigh to calm her down.

"Then why do I feel so betrayed and foolish? I'd fallen for it. I'd fallen for her little game." Tori sobbed as Trina pulled in to the parking garage at the LAPD.

"We'll find her Tori. She's going to answer." Trina said as she got out of the car with the letter in hand. Tori came out, following closely behind her older sister and feeling alone and desperately needing someone to be there.

"I'll meet you at your office. I need to stop by the bathroom." Tori spoke as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Take your time." Trina said before going to her office and grabbing the office phone to make a quick call.

"Holly. Something just came up and I need a favor from you." Trina spoke quickly as she kept an eye looking through the window to watch for Tori.

"You locked me out in the rain!" Holly complained, still slightly bitter as she was still trying to relax in the bath.

"You walked out of our lives!" Trina retorted. "I left your keys outside for you."

"You didn't even wake me up." Holly argued though she'd already been defeated, not by Trina but by herself.

"You looked comfortable. Look, whatever. Jade is gone and Tori is here at the station with me. I need you to watch the house to look out for Jade." Tori was coming down from the bathroom now as Trina stood up from leaning against the desk.

"But the restraining order?"

"Forget the restraining order. Due to circumstances I have to ask you to watch the house." She sighed before thinking of a better solution. "You know what, you're right. Can't break laws now. I need you to stop by the hotel she said she was going stay at and see what you can find out. I'll text you the address. I need to go." Trina spoke quickly, placing the phone back on the hook just as Tori walked in, still sniffling but put back together. She pulled out her phone, quickly sending the address before grabbing the letter and calling in Officer Markos.

"Yes ma'am." He said, acting professional and letting his relationship with her keep him distracted while on duty as he walked in the door.

"Shut the door." Trina ordered as she sat down at her desk and slid the letter over to him. They both strongly agreed on not acting unprofessional while on duty. Tori had taken a seat on the couch as she seemed to have drifted off somewhere else. "I need you to look in to this. Find any clues you can pull from it but we're not trying to turn this in to a case until we know more, so I need you to keep it quiet."

"And what's the problem?" He asked as he leaned over to look at it.

"Nothing that we know of, yet. Pretend this is a kite from a prisoner. It looks innocent enough. Find anything out that you can. Fingerprints or any messages hidden between the lines." She said while casually keeping an eye on her sister to make sure she wouldn't fall apart right there in her office.

"Jadelyn West. Isn't that?" He turned his head to look at Tori before opening his mouth to quietly say 'oh.' He could her eyes were red and swollen from crying what must have been recently."I understand. I'll look in to and get back to you."

"Quickly." Trina said as he nodded to her and left with the note. "Thank you!" She added as the door shut behind him. She sighed before placing her head against the desk.

"What's he doing?" Tori asked, standing up to sit in one of the arm chairs that were placed before Trina's desk.

"Just researching it from objective point of view." She said as she sat up straight and fixed lose strands of hair. "Just rest, okay baby sis? He'll be back soon with any information he can find." Trina stood up to have Tori move back to the couch as she pulled a sheet and pillow from the wall locker for the nights that she was too tired to make it home. She placed it over her little sister, tucking her in as she watched Tori drift in to sleep and the creases on the younger woman's face disappeared.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hey, hey! Happy President's Day everyone! Hope that those of you still following are still enjoying this. If not, please tell me. I do take suggestions and love opinions. As long as they're constructive and not just you trying to be an asshole. Anyway, thank you to my loyal followers! I love you all!**_

* * *

The letter had been carefully examined by Markos and dusted down. Only Trina, Tori, Jade, and Marko's own fingerprints came up with an unmatched set that wasn't in their system. The man sighed, taking the letter over to his trusted college who was great at cracking codes, if there were any thing to find in this letter.

"Hey, I need you to look at this please." Markos came over, placing the letter on the desk of Officer Bullock. She smiled and shook her head before picking it up to read it over. "Is there anything that should even be found in it?" She asked as he leaned back against her desk.

"What're you looking for?" She asked while pulling out a pen and paper.

"I don't know." He sighed before coming up behind her, leaning over her chair to watch her process. "I was just told to look it over for _anything._"

She started with the simplest method, recognizing the way the format and choice of wording. She began with every letter after any punctuation to come up with AVIDISIHOLIDIINGMECAPTIIVIEF ITNDMEQYUYICKFLBYORIIKFEIATR TTWHEIWORISOTIOVEYOI.

"That makes no sense." Markos scoffed while scratching the back of his head.

The door opened slowly as to not make any noise. Trina walked in and shut the door carefully behind her. "So, have you found anything?" She came up beside them, leaning over to compare Bullock's notes to the letter. "Is that it?" she asked, confused. She could tell that it wanted to say something, they just hadn't cracked it just right yet.

"No ma'am. Just give me a moment." Bullock answered before trying again. Trina whispered to Office Markos, pulling him aside to speak to him privately.

"I can feel it. I can feel that there is something wrong and it's weighing on my heart like an anchor. I can't imagine how Tori must feel if I feel this bad. Are you any closer?" She asked in a low hush while tilting her head to take a quick look over at Officer Bullock scribbling away.

"Not yet. An unknown set of prints showed up on the letter. Along with yours, Tori's, Jade, and my own; I had to take it over here to Bullock for further analysis. I hope you don't mind. I know you wanted to keep it under wraps." He gave an apologetic look as he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not a problem. I know Bullock is our best when it comes to kites." Trina let out a sigh, rolling her neck as she rubbed her hand over it. Her Pearphone buzzed in her pocket as she pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. "Let me know as soon as you find anything." She excused herself as she answered her phone.

"I spoke to the young man at the front desk. He didn't seem too helpful. In fact, he seemed a little crazy. He did confirm that Jade checked out after staying a night but that's about it. He said she left after returning the key to call a cab but later when the driver pulled out to no one waiting at the bus stop, he came inside to start an argument. I had to walk out at that point but there wasn't much more in this story other than the argument ending in Steve having to pay him for wasted time." Holly spoke as she was climbing on to a bus to return to Trina's home.

"Look around the bus bench. Is there anything there that might be a lead?" Trina added quickly as she paced in the hallway. Holly quickly climbed off the bus, searching around the bench when she found a card for Jade's publisher.

"No. Just Jade's publisher card that must she must have dropped this morning. Maybe she was trying to call them? This place seems too cheap and low-budget for her." Holly added, trying to be as helpful as she could at the moment.

"That's better than nothing. I'll call him and see what happened." Trina hung up the phone to pull up Graham's number at Hollywood Creative Directory. She spoke with him only briefly, he mentioned she called upset about staying in a sleazy motel even though he said she wasn't booked to go anywhere until New York. She hung up when her fiancé came up behind her, startling her, and she returned to with him to speak with Bullock. "So what'd you find?" She asked, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Here." Bullock held out her scribbled note in the air as Trina took it, reading DAVID IS HOLDING ME CAPTIVE FIND ME QUICKLY OR I FEAR THE WORST I LOVE YOU. "Oh my God." She gasped, her mouth agape. "I need to tell Tori." Trina sighed, shaken now but able to hold her composure_. He_ came too. "Thanks you guys."

"I feel so stupid. It was so simple. The simplest way to hide a message, so simple I hadn't thought of trying it first since criminals are much more intricate." Bullock said embarrassed as she shook her head.

"Apparently it was so simple that David hadn't noticed it either." Markos said while biting his lip anxiously. "To believe he was a former cop of the LAPD." He said under his breath as Trina sighed. She smiled sadly, taking the letter and note and heading out after telling her fiancé who had tried to follow that she needed to do this alone.

"Tori." Trina spoke softly as she opened the door to her office to find the light already on and Tori sitting up on the couch holding her knees to her chest.

"Did you find anything?" She asked blankly, wanting this nightmare to just be over so she can wake up safe again, in the warmth and comfort of her shared bed, and in Jade's arms once more.

"I'm so sorry." Trina started, wanting nothing more than to hold her baby sister and say everything would be okay. "I can't say everything will okay now." She whispered while sitting down next to Tori. "I can say that the reason this hurts so much, is because it matters and I know she means so much to you." Tori inhaled slowly, exhaling as she gulped and looked at Trina with such great sorrow. "I don't know how to say this lightly, you're family. So I'm just going to say what was found. She's being held captive by David, our _father_. But she does still love you and we need to find her quickly. The trip was a lie. He manipulated her to get her away from us but she was going to come home this morning. She knew that something wasn't right when she showed up but it was too late." Tori remained silent, almost broken as her eyes grew wide and Trina could almost see the scenes in her mind was playing in her head, playing in the chocolate hues of her sister as she imagined what kind of sick torture David was using.

* * *

"Wake up, vile woman." A stern voice spoke, followed by a splash of water to the face. "Be cleansed." David spoke as he flung water across at Jade. This was now her second night of being held captive and she was beginning to feel like they hadn't solved it. Not that her note would help much, she hadn't exactly given them an address or hint of anything since she didn't know where she was. It would like searching for a needle in a hay stack and it would take time. The spun as she opened her eyes, the blur coming clearer as she looked around groggy, flinching every time he tossed water at her. She hissed, and he dumped a cup full on her as she spit the hair away from her face.

"You're not going to get away with this." She said weakly, famished from not being fed.

"I don't intend to get away with it. I came here for a mission." He stated simply as he brought a stool to sit in front of her while shutting his bible and placing it in his lap before leaning forward. "I will break you." He whispered.

"What's your mission? Keep me away from the one person I truly love?" She asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"I'm to have you killed. You will lay another finger on my daughter again. You will never lay your heathen eyes on her again. You will never lay with her again." He smirked as she spit on him. With a quick swipe, he slapped her across the face as she winced, her face stinging. "You will first be purified for your wickedness."

"Do you really want me cleansed? Then you'd have to see me in Heaven?" Jade retorted as she shifted to sit more comfortably, her wrists becoming raw and scarred.

"You shall remain silent, you witch!" He yelled, angered now by her spirit.

"Oh but I revel in this sin." She smirked, trying to stay as cold as she could to prove that she wasn't going to succumb to his delusions.

"You will become silent." He growled as he grabbed a cloth and placed it firmly in her mouth. It squeezed tightly, pressing into her skin as he tied a knot to keep her from speaking anymore. "As I was saying, your soul shall be purified." He was calm again and for once, Jade was actually afraid as she tried to hide it by keeping an angered expression. Her blood boiled and her heart pounded rapidly as he quickly grabbed her head and thrust it forward and into a bucket of water. She gasped for air, struggling painfully against the cuffs as she tried to pull her head back out. "Don't worry. I'm not done with you yet." He got in her face; his breath smelling of whiskey as she gasped for air after being pulled out. He released the handful of hair he had in his grip before kicking the bucket over and stomping up the stairs. She'd become locked in the dark again and the water was beginning to form a puddle beneath her.

Her heart rate began dropping as a wave nausea swept over from the shock. It hit quickly as she gasped irregularly to try to come down from it. She started wondering how Tori was doing, if she was okay. She wondered if she would make it out okay. If she would even be found on time, if at all. She wanted to see Tori. She wanted to hold Tori close and just be with her. She wanted to hold Tori's stomach where their child was still growing. It would break her heart to not be able to see her child grow up and crush her spirit to know Tori would be alone. She would never be able to rest peacefully if it wasn't at Tori's side, safely tucked in to their sheets at home. A tear trailed down her cheek as she checked the door, the light beneath it shutting off, telling her David was finally done for tonight. Truthfully, she had no idea how long she had been down there. It could have been less than twenty-four hours for all she knew but it felt like eternity without Tori. She had to hold on. She had to believe that she would be found just in time and prayed that it would be soon.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Sorry the updates keep taking so long! But I do have a life that keeps distracting me~**_

* * *

The bus drove away with a large puff of smoke emitting out from the back as it pulled away. There was a set of tire tracks on the ground that still looked relatively new and they hadn't been left by the bus. A few photos had been as evidence and sent over a message to Trina as Holly kept walking down the street looking for any more clues that might help. The message stated that she would be back later; she just had a few more places to try looking before returning on the next bus. Trina had given her permission and allowed it in the hopes that Holly might actually find something. She forwarded the photos to her fiance earlier so he could look them over in the forensics lab for a possible tread match to a vehicle or make.

"Come on Tori. I think you should go home, at least until we have more to go on." Trina spoke softly as she helped pull her sister off the couch. She was like a rag doll, limp and void of emotion. Perhaps it was just easier to deal with it all when she blocked it all out. Trina helped her outside and to the car when she received a text message. It was from her fiance, Alex, who had pulled up a match to a Dodge Charger. Her father used to drive one of the newly approved Dodge Charger LX Police Special and this put them closer.

"Will you find her, soon?" Tori asked as she twiddled her thumbs together in her lap.

Trina sighed, hitting the send button on her button to forward the information back to Holly. "We'll find her Tori. I promise, we will find her." She said confidently as she slid her phone back in her pocket and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I hope so." Tori said quietly as she stared out the window, thinking. She looked a little more pale now after being told that David was back and was the reason Jade was gone.

"We will." Trina said, trying to keep being the reassuring one as she turned on the radio and let her PearPod play on shuffle.

_Well the sun has come down  
And I can't see the light  
Can you believe this  
I can't receive this  
She was standing over there  
And now she's out of sight  
I can't conceive this  
She seems so conceited  
She's gone and I know that I need her_

They kept driving, not speaking, as the songs kept playing at random. When Trina finally pulled in to Tori's driveway, her sister didn't budge. She made no movement to get out of the car as Trina shut off the car and sat there carefully watching her little sister.

"Can I come with you?" Tori asked, her voice shaky and nothing more than a whisper. She wanted to do everything she could. She couldn't just sit around as everyone else went to look for her wife. It wouldn't be fair if she wasn't the first person that she saw.

"Tori-"

"Please?" Tori pleaded, the frown on her face sinking even lower as she looked to her older sister.

"But your child." Trina said as she tried being the reasonable one.

"The child will be fine. I need Jade, Trina." Tori pleaded again as she turned her body to face Trina as she waited for an answer.

Trina sat there, her inner voice arguing to not let her but fighting to let her be there when they find Jade. How could she say no to her baby sister? She knew how Tori felt and it wouldn't be fair to just make her sit around nervously awaiting the next phone call. Trina finally nodded. "Okay." She paused just to think it through one last time and be sure she was really okay with it. "Okay. You can come. But you have to wear a bullet proof vest as long. As you're going to be on site with me, I want you protected." Trina said firmly so her sister would understand. Tori nodded quickly before leaning over the console to hug her sister as a thank you.

"I don't want to be here." Tori said sadly as she returned to her seat and looked up to the home she shared with Jade. It wouldn't feel right. It wouldn't be the same to be home without Jade. She wouldn't be comfortable there if she didn't have her wife with her.

"Okay. Let's go get something to eat." Trina started the car again and pulled back out of the driveway to get something to eat.

* * *

The wind hadn't let up since it had stopped raining earlier. It was still bitterly cold all day as Holly walked around a few of the neighboring homes around where Jade had been staying. She hadn't seen any Chargers for the past few blocks and the houses with empty driveways probably had them parked safely in their garages. She couldn't just go knocking on every door because that would only to lead to more dead ends without answers. David was in the lead now and she wasn't going to rest until he was out of her life for good. But there wasn't anything more to go on except he was driving around in a police issue charger, one he probably stole. She sighed before getting an alarming sense of an obvious answer. She quickly dialed Trina on her PearPhone.

"Trina, don't all police cars have trackers in them?" She asked quickly to not waste any time.

"Of course." Trina sighed as she dropped the spoon of rice back on her plate, feeling a little foolish for not having realized that sooner. They all had tracking devices in them. Her mind had been so clouded and worried over her sister that she wasn't exactly able to think straight.

"So you can call in every vehicle to see which ones are in use. Then you can find the one that is missing; the one that isn't scheduled to be out on a patrol." Holly offered, knowing little about police business since her husband didn't tell her too much. "Find the car, find Jade."

"Thanks, Holly. I'll call you when any more information arises." Holly said as she hung up the phone to finish eating.

Holly checked the time before returning to the bus stop. The next bus was pulling up and opening its doors as someone stepped off. She had made it just in time as she climbed on to the bus and made her way to a seat in the back. There was only one other person on this bus and they had fallen asleep in with a hood on to cover their face. The doors squealed shut as the bus took off again. A few drops of water landed on the windows as Holly stared outside watching the houses and cars go by. David was the lowest person she knew and he had pulled her down with him. This was her chance to pull herself out of it and prove to her daughters that she was a better person. Her determination was going to set things right and keep her motivated.

The two finished their meals as the officers on duty all reported back in with locations to the main station. Alex was back at the station mapping out each one of them as Trina and Tori took a short break for food. "We're closer, right?" Tori asked as she finished the last of her salad from P.F. Wangs. "Do you think we can find her tonight?"

"She's already been gone for two nights. The trail gets colder the longer we wait. We have to find her as soon as we can." Trina answered without giving a definite confirmation. Tori just nodded as she slumped back over her food and just picked at it, poking around the nuts in the salad as she waited to take further action on this case. It was Jade. It was so much different having someone you know and love go missing versus just seeing or hearing about a stranger going missing or getting kidnapped. When you don't know them, you don't feel as bad. It's only a brief, fleeting feeling. But when it's someone you know, it doesn't go away or fade. It keeps growing.

"Can't we have more help now? Make this in to a case?" Tori asked as she dropped her chopsticks and stood up.

"We can if you want to." Trina said as she stood up too, taking the tray to the trash. She felt a little guilty now for not having done it sooner but she didn't want to sound the alarms for nothing, after she was sure there was something to cause a panic over. "Here are the keys. Go start the car, I'll be right out." She handed the keys over to her little sister who left to go start the car.

Trina pulled out her PearPhone to call the station. "LAPD, Officer Markos speaking." Alex picked up the phone.

"Hi, dear. I need you to start making a case file out of this. We're going to need more officers out there looking for Jade now." Trina asked as she stood by the door so she could be out-of-the-way of anyone and so no one could easily listen in on the conversation.

"Of course. Yes ma'am." He replied, keeping his professional demeanor to him as he was still on duty. "Every officer on patrol has reported back in. There is one squad car missing that we are looking in to as we speak."

"Thank you, sir." Trina replied as she chewed nervously on her lip.

"Wait, we have it now. Its location is appearing as one of the residential areas in the Melrose District. I'll send over the coordinates and have some men head over now." He stated before saying goodbye and hanging up. He was on his way as well.

"We have a better lead then we did before." She said to herself before turning to head out. She climbed in the car and drove out, following along the streets until she reached the Fairfax District. She parked once she made to the Melrose District and walked around the alternative shops and restaurants lining Melrose Avenue. "I don't think he's going to be here, Tori. I'm sorry." Trina sighed when she walked in to the shop where the coordinates had led her; where the car should been. It just wasn't there. Maybe he had wised up and tossed it.

"What about out back? In the alley?" Tori asked as she pushed through the backdoor and outside. There were several dumpsters outside for the shops and restaurants on this street.

"Do you want to go dumpster diving for a tracking device?" Trina sounded agitated now but it wasn't directed at Tori but it had come off that way. She noticed this when Tori turned away to sulk. "I'm sorry, Tor. We will find Jade. It might just take a little longer than expected. "Do you want to wait here for Alex to show up? So he can look through the trash?" Tori shook her head, turning back around to face her older sister.

"No. No, it's okay. I know we will find her." She said, half jaded like she was almost giving up. But she wouldn't let herself give in, not that easily. Not without a fight. She could still feel Jade holding on, struggling to fight back. If Jade could find the strength to keep going, then so would she. She wasn't going to give up until they were both reunited with each other. "Let's keep looking." Tori said as she kept walking around despite visibly shivering from the cold.

"You should slow down Tori. Be careful." Trina said cautiously as she took off her jacket to give Tori. "You aren't looking alone, remember that. And you can't wear yourself out, you have two to think for."

"Three." Tori quickly corrected. Yes, she had a child on the way but she was mostly concerned for Jade more than anything. They had fighter spirits in them both, a trait she knew the child would inherit as well. This meant she had to keep going because there was no giving up now.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Well, it's been two weeks since the last update. I've been busy with other projects and events and **__**my nove**__**l, that I've lost the motivation to even finish this one. Sorry guys, this one is going to remain incomplete unless someone out there can think of a nice (twist) ending. I'd honestly be interested in reading that. So the end is up to someone who feels like this deserves one. You can message me with the URL for the end and I can post the URL with your name here if anyone does.**_

_**Dueces~**_


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